


Baila conmigo, mi amor (Dance with me, my love)

by Skylakur



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Dancing Lessons, Denial, F/F, F/M, Human Names Used, Insecure Lovino, Jealousy, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Some Religion, Swearing, Underage Drinking, olive garden, past South Italy/America, spamano - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-01-16 02:04:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 37,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12333264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylakur/pseuds/Skylakur
Summary: (Shorter version)Lovino moves to Spain. Has a hot Spanish dancing teacher and when his family moves to Germany he stays behind for a piece of that hot Spanish ass.(Longer version)Lovino has been in dance classes all of his life, its one of his many passions. However, when he and his family move to Spain for his 17th birthday he starts going to a different dance class and his teacher is the most beautiful man Lovino had ever seen.  Of course, he couldn't tell the 20-year-old Spaniard that but when Antonio asks him on a date after only a few months of knowing Lovino the zesty Italian cant help but be a little shocked. Maybe it will just be a short quick relationship like all his past relationships. Or maybe this just might be one of the best things to ever happen to Lovino.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is mostly an introductory chapter. The rest of the story with have at least 2000 word chapters.

*Lovinos POV*

"Lovino, it's time to wake up."

"Lovino."

"Lovino!! Wake up!!" 

I tried to roll over to turn off whoever was yelling at me but instead ended up rolling off of my bed and faceplanting the floor.

"Aww Lovino, are you alright?" I groaned in pain and annoyance at my grandfathers' voice. I continued laying on the probably dirty floor and contemplated going back to sleep. 

"Now Lovino don't even try going back to sleep or I'll have your brother poor cold water on you again. We have to hurry up and finish loading the moving truck so we can go." I sighed but pushed myself up off the dusty floor to look up at the old Italian as I stretched.

"Why the fuck do we have to leave so early? It's not like the house is going anywhere." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before explaining it (again) to my sleep induced mind.

"Language Lovino. When you're eighteen you can swear to your heart's desire. And we have to leave early because I start work in two days and I would like to have most of the basics set up." He looked like he was gonna say more but just then mi Fratello burst through the door.

"Ve~ I got the glass of water, can I pour it on him now-" He blinked and noticed me scowling at him. He looked at me then back to the glass then back to me then back to the glass. This continued for about a minute and I was about to yell at him when suddenly my grandfather grabbed the glass, took a sip, then proceeded to dump the cold water on me. 

"CHIGIII!! Why did you do that?!" I yelled and quickly threw my now damp shirt off. He just chuckled and said I needed a shower before literally skipping out of my room with Feli. I hate my birthdays.

We sat in the car and listened to all the boring 'hip' Italian music and I thought about the choice I made. Our grandfather received a lot of money from when our parents died. So he told us that for our 18th birthday he would take us to our favorite country if he was able. I'm almost two years older than Feli so I got to choose first. I chose Spain. Mainly because it has the best tomatoes, but it's also such a pretty and passionate place. I've always wanted to go there so when Nonno told us to pick our favorite country besides home I instantly said Spain. I had no clue we would move there though. It's a good thing I've always studied Spanish.

I begged them to fly but no, they had to drive. Just to fucking annoy me with their stupid off-key singing.

"Will you two shut the fuck up? You sound like dying animals." I huffed out at them hoping they would listen.

"Language Lovino." and they went back to singing. I sighed and once again thought to myself 'Mio Dio I hate my birthdays.'

As we were driving through the main part of Spain I saw the familiar sign of the dance class Feli and I were gonna go to. I quickly pointed it out to Nonno and he slapped his hand on my back and laughed.

"Gracias Lovino, I would have been driving for another two hours if you hadn't of said anything." I huffed but said nothing as I put my earbud back in so I didn't have to listen to their singing anymore.

When the vehicle came to a stop I looked up from my phone and took in the cute little house with a tiny mahogany colored fence going around it. I smiled despite myself. This is gonna be my home. Mine. I felt my smile go wider and I couldn't even hide it when I looked back at Nonno who had a fond smile on his face as well. I was gonna say thanks but I decided to save it until Feliciano was out of earshot. 

We all got out of the little car and grabbed our small important things out of the trunk to take inside with us. Now came the worst part, picking which room I wanted before Fratello could. He would probably get the first pick anyways since he always gets what he wants. I refrained from sighing and went into the tiny house to search out a room. 

When I first walked in I was greeted with a relatively small living room, void of most furniture save for a red velvet couch and a large darker red area rug. There was a walled off stairway to the left of the front door and a circular arch leading to a light brown tiled kitchen with dark granite counters, a small stove, and a fridge. Beside the fridge on the next wall was a sliding door that led out into the backyard. I left the kitchen and went upstairs to see a door at the top of the stairs. I opened it to see a small bathroom with light brown tiled floors like in the kitchen. I shut the door and continued on to the next. 

The next two rooms were basic sized bedrooms, one had a balcony which I ultimately decided I wanted. I took my shoe off and set it in the middle of the floor to claim it as mine from feli. I smiled smugly and went back downstairs to be greeted by nonno looking around. 

"I'm guessing you've already claimed a room?" He said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. I felt my face flush and looked away in embarrassment, not saying anything.

His loud happy laughter scared me into looking back up at him though. 

"Lovino, Feli and I will be moving in another two years or so. You get the first pick of any of the rooms, even the master bedroom if you want it." I looked around for Feliciano before quickly hugging Nonno and trying my best to thank him.

"We didn't have to move here, you could've just got me a tomato plant from here and it would've been enough. But I'm kinda really happy you did, so I guess what I'm trying to say is... thanks. For everything. So there. I get the room with the balcony." I said as I rushed out the door in order to avoid further embarrassment.


	2. Chapter 2

I walked into the shiny dance studio with my Fratello skipping along behind talking about all the pretty people he's seen just this morning. He's been up exploring as much of Madrid as he could on just two feet since around 7:00. It's *15:25 now. I sighed and looked around the large room. The walls were lined with floor to ceiling mirrors and there was a small stadium over the top of the main entrance.

There were a few children dancing with a small blonde guy. I looked at the schedule on the front door and it said kids age 6-10 classes are going on right now. I told feli and we went to sit down in the stadium with some of the parents. I glared at anyone who looked at me funny.

About 20 minutes later a girl with short blonde hair walked in and walked up the steps to sit next to us. She looked over at me with a weird catlike smile and scooted over beside me. 

"Hi, I'm Emma. I've never seen you two here before, are you new?" I snorted at how straightforward she was but replied anyways since Feliciano was too busy watching the children dance. 

"Ciao, I'm Lovino and this is Feliciano and yea we're new." Her smile seemed to get bigger when I answered her question. She looked like she was about to say something when a taller guy with a whistle walked out and blew on it lightly to get the children's attention. 

"Ok kids, the class is over and I hope to see you all soon." He said with a deep but nice voice before turning around and walking back to what I presume to be the main office. I felt a tapping on my shoulder.

"That's my older brother Lars, he runs the place along with our younger brother. It also appears that our teacher is running late again." She huffed the last part out but smiled anyway. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up and started dragging me down the steps. Feli followed.

"Where the fuck are we going? Do you always drag people you just meet around like this? Shit!" I yelled before tripping and nearly falling down the rest of the steps. Feli started laughing like the little shit he is which caused her to laugh as well. 

Luckily we made it to the office in one piece and she popped her head through the door to get her brothers attention. 

"Lars, this is Lovino and Feliciano. Are they already in the system?" She asked and I soon a grunt that I assume meant yes since she didn't say anything else. She then proceeded to drag me over to one of the mats that were placed on the floor in a straight line. I wanted to yell at her to let go but I couldn't yell at a pretty woman. That would be rude, even for me

"Ok, since Antonio is running late again I'll show you guys the stretches we do." I was about to inform her that we're not fucking beginners but Feli beat me to it. 

"Ve~ okay bella." I elbowed him in the side and smirked in triumph when he squeaked out in pain.

She ran us through the main stretches which we already knew and did with ease. Probably better than her but I wasn't gonna say anything. Once again that would be rude.

We finished our stretches and I looked around to see a few other people around our age on other mats doing the same stretches. There was a short girl with really long almost silver hair, a really tall guy who had hair of the same color but a really creepy vibe coming off him and a girl with short blonde hair and rather large *ahem* breasts all sitting in a line and talking. 

Then there was what looked like two guys sitting next to each other. One had blonde hair put up in a bun with a bright pink hairbow and the other had brown hair put up in a low ponytail with a dark green hairbow. 

Then apart from them was another guy who looked like he was ready to shoot anyone who dared come too close to him. And the guy next to him looked like he was constipated just from being here. He had a light purple outfit on and his hair was perfectly brushed and gelled except for a piece sticking out but I really had nowhere to judge with that. 

I was gonna ask Emma who everyone was but just then another guy rushed in. Now he was the most attractive in my opinion, so attractive that I barely realized it when I walked over to him as he was putting some stuff in one of the lockers beside the office. 

*"Ciao bello, che ne dici di prendere un boccone da mangiare dopo questo?" He turned to look at me and a small smile appeared on his face but he also looked kind of confused so I repeated it in Spanish for him.

*"Hola guapo, ¿qué tal si agarramos un bocado para comer después de esto?" His face seemed to flush significantly before he said something that made my face go beet red in embarrassment. 

"Ahh, as much as I would like to I actually have some paperwork to finish after I teach the class. Maybe some other time though?" Right after he said that I heard Feli burst out laughing and I tried so hard not to cuss him out right then and there. 

After I'd stalked back to my mat I discreetly punched Feli in the side for laughing. But for once I was glad no one here understood Italian besides mio Fratello because I yelled every Italian swear word I knew at the guy.

"All throughout class anytime I looked at Antonio, the teacher, I felt my face heat up and quickly looked away. However, anytime our eyes made contact I felt my anger and embarrassment subside until I came to my senses and snapped my gaze away. He would usually laugh when I did. Fucking bastard.

The class lasted over an hour and it was almost 17:30 when we finally were allowed to go and change back into our regular clothes and leave. Feli and I were one of the last ones to leave and I had just opened the door when I felt an overly warm hand brush my shoulder. I looked back and saw Antonio holding out a piece of paper to me.

"In case you'd ever like to hang out sometime or 'grab a bite to eat'. That is if me being your dance teacher isn't too weird for you." He chuckled nervously as he held out the paper for me to grab. I took the paper from him and wanted to smile but I held it back and settled for nodding to him before I opened the door and was greeted by a smug looking Feliciano. 

"Shut up and let's go home. Nonno wants to go shopping." He laughed and grabbed my hand trying to get me to skip alongside him. I just sighed and speed walked next to him the entire way home.

As soon as we walked through the front door we were ushered right back out and into the car. On the way to god only knows what store. Nonno mentioned something that I never wanted to hear but I knew I would eventually. 

"Well, now that Feliciano is 15, I think its high time you two get a job." Feli got excited and I just groaned, not even knowing where to start. 

"Nonno, do you think we'll get a job together?" Feli asked like the twat he is. Of course, we would get a job together, I have to make sure you don't break anything.

"Of course Feli." He said with a nervous smile as he looked over at me with a knowing look. I nodded reluctantly, desperately wanting to say 'Fuck no'. But I held my tongue as to not get chastised about my language again.

We walked around some weird furniture store looking for who knows what and talking about potential jobs. 

So far we had one of those wooden futons that look so uncomfortable but when you sat on it it's like sitting on a cloud. We had a small dark red coffee table to replace our old one that Feli broke while he was half asleep. We got two new computer desks, one for me and one for Feli. Mine was a dark brown and Felis' was a light grey. And Nonno grabbed a new wine rack for his own private stash. 

We were about to go check out when I saw it. The perfect chair. A giant beanbag. That looked like a giant tomato. Who gave a fuck if it was in the kid's furniture section. It was beautiful and perfect and if anyone disagrees with me I'll cut their balls off.

"Nonno! I want this!" I said as I rushed over to grab the giant beanbag that was almost as big as me. I looked over it at him and his eyes widened. 

"I don't know Lovino, how much is it?" I looked at the price tag and felt myself instantly deflate as well as feel a faint embarrassment fill me. 

"130 Euro," I said as I went to put the giant thing back. I walked back to Nonno and Feli feeling humiliated over something so simple. 

"Aww, I'm sorry Lovino, maybe when you get a job you can come and get it for yourself. My job just doesn't pay enough, I'll honestly be surprised if I can pay for all of this." I nodded and helped finish checking everything out. 

On the way home, Nonno stopped by a liquor store and came back with multiple bottles of wine. He never got receipts so when he and Feli were carrying stuff in I snuck a bottle or two. He would never know. 

I hid the bottles under my bed before helping them assemble furniture and rearrange it. 

"I don't know Nonno, I liked it better over there."

"But you can't see out the window if it's over there."

"Why the fuck would anyone need to see out of the window?"

"Lovino! Language!"

"Sorry" 

After about an hour of arguing about furniture and window viewing, we finally got everything in a place that everyone agreed on. I carried my desk upstairs and helped Feli bring his up and shoved it in the corner for him before retreating to my room to do the same with mine.

After making sure I didn't skid my wooden floor by scooting the desk across it I turned to examine my mostly barren room. My wooden full-size bed was shoved in the middle of the wall when you first walk into the room. The balcony doors were beside the bottom of the bed and the desk was shoved in the corner beside the closet. 

I sighed and fell backward onto the bed. I relaxed and closed my eyes but almost as soon as I did I saw two forest green eyes looking back at me with dark chocolate brown curls framing them. I saw the person's cheeks lift up and I could tell they were smiling a really stupid smile.

Antonio. 

I snapped my eyes open and reached under the bed to pull out a bottle of red wine. I uncorked it with the knife I keep on me at all times and took a sip while thinking 'Shit. I have a fucking crush on him. I have a fucking crush on my fucking dance teacher.'

I upended the bottle and took a deep long drink wanting to forget everything that happened today. Especially wanting not forget those forest green eyes and that stupid happy smile. 

I took another really long drink as I reached down to pull out the second bottle. 

Shit. This is going to be a really, really long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm using army time/24 hour clock for 2 reasons. 1: I personally use it for where I'm at. 2: They're in Spain and they use army time in Spain (I'm pretty sure) also any translations done are by google translate. So I'm terribly sorry if they're wrong.
> 
> *15:25 is 3:25  
> *17:30 is 5:30  
> *"Ciao bello, che ne dici di prendere un boccone da mangiare dopo questo?" Translates to "Hello handsome, how about we grab a bite to eat after this."  
> *"Hola guapo, ¿qué tal si agarramos un bocado para comer después de esto?" Translates to the same thing as above. (Hello handsome, how about we grab a bite to eat after this.)
> 
> Also, the characters I've listed so far are; Belgium/Emma, Netherlands/Lars, Belarus/Natalia, Russia/Ivan, Ukraine/Katyusha, Poland/Feliks, Lithuania/Toris, Switzerland/Vash, Austria/Roderich. The blonde guy teaching the kids class is Finland/Tino.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning I was woken up by my brother. 'Thank god it's not Nonno.' 

"Fratello? Have you been in Nonnos' wine again? You know I don't like it when you drink like this." I heard him sigh before I heard the faint clinking of bottles. I groaned and rolled over to see what he was doing but was instantly filled with a blinding pain. 

"Fuck! Feli, turn off the sun." I heard a chuckle and the sound of curtains being closed. Then and only then did I slowly open my eyes. There he was, all dressed up, shoes properly laced for once, even his hair was styled. I groaned at the sight. 

"Ve~ come on Lovino, Nonnos' at work so you can take as long as you want to get dressed. However, he said we need to go look for jobs today before dance class. Hey, you don't look so good? Are you alright-" I cut him off there and bolted out of the room as fast as I could. Everything I had eaten last night along with the wine came right back up and was soon flushed down the toilet.

After my stomach was emptied completely and I made sure I brushed my teeth enough to get the taste and smell out I exited the bathroom only to see my brother with a worried expression. I assured him I was fine and walked back to my room to look for my headache pills and some decent clothes.

I came back out dressed in a dark red button up and some mostly wrinkle free black trousers. 

"Hey, Feli have you seen my black dress shoes?" I asked but when I looked up from unbuttoning the top button on my shirt he was standing there looking at me with wide eyes. 

"What? It's not as if I never dress up or anything? Close your fucking mouth you look like a fish." He shut his mouth and went back to his chipper annoying self. 

"Fratello it's been so long since you've dressed up this nicely. I wonder what Antonio will think?" I felt my face heat up and had to fight not to go punch him in the mouth. 

"Shut the fuck up Feli. Just help me find my god damn shoes already. They have to be in one of these fucking boxes. Feli get over here! Don't give me that smug fucking look!" At this point, I knew I was rambling to try to save face but I don't give a shit. I just want my shoes.

After we found my shoes and I polished them we made our way out of the tiny little neighborhood and down onto the main streets. Feli would point out certain little places he thought it would be cute to work. First a cafe, then a mini shop, then a tiny pet store. When he finally pointed out somewhere mostly decent I grabbed his arm and drug him along behind me into the shop. 

It was a simple little grocery store with a 'Help Wanted' sign on the window. I didn't like it all that much but it was better than a fucking pet store. Feli would never get any work done. 

We walked up to an employee and asked about it and they pointed us to the manager. We went through the interview but while I was accepted Feli was denied so I told them I couldn't work without my Fratello. They understood and we left to search again.

We went through about 5 interviews before Feli grabbed my hand freaking out over the time. I looked at my phone and it was *15:45, we're gonna either be late or have to run. Feli chose for me, we were running. 

The entire way there I complained about how I didn't wanna scuff my shoes. He ignored me. Bastard.

When we finally made it through the doors it was *16:02. Perfect. We quickly changed and went to sit with Emma and the girl with long silver hair. However, as soon as we sat down the girl with silver hair literally fucking hissed at us and glared at us as hard as she could. I was about to get up and move but Emma stopped me. 

"Lovino this is Natalia, my girlfriend. Natalia this Lovino, one of the new guys. The other one is Feliciano." I heard Feli say a happy "Ciao" behind me and rolled my eyes. When I looked back at Emma and Natalia they had expecting guarded looks. I then realized they wanted to know if I was one of those homophobic douchebags. 

"Ciao Natalia. You can stop with the looks both of you, I'm not exactly on the straight side either but if you tell anyone I'll end you." Emma smiled her cat smile and Natalia seemed to relax mostly. Mostly. She still glared daggers at me. I snorted but continued on with my stretches, not noticing when a guy with sun-kissed skin and stupid green eyes sat next to me to do his own stretches.

When I turned to the other side and saw him an embarrassing squeaking sound came out of my mouth. He just chuckled and looked at me then got a somewhat sad look on his face.

"Hola Lovi, you never texted me yesterday." I denied the heat on my face and continued to stretch as I replied to him. 

"I was busy yesterday you bastard and don't call me that." I huffed and stood up to do the last of my stretches. 

"Lovino it's alright if you don't wanna-" just then he was interrupted 'thank god' by Feli.

"Ciao Antonio, you wouldn't happen to know any places that are hiring do you?" Antonio stood up and seemed to think for a moment before he answered Felis question.

"Everyone's still finishing up the warm-ups so let's walk outside real quick. I have a friend who's very big in the business world." I sigh but follow them out the doors and listen in to Antonio's side of the conversation. 

"Hola Francis. Ah si, I've been fine. Actually, I was wondering if you know of any places hiring? Oh no, not for me. Really? Ok gracias, Francis. Si I will." He turned to us with a smile.

"Francis said the best place is the Olive Garden just down the road from here." I stared at his dumb smile while my mind processed what he just said. Olive Garden. As in an Italian restaurant. 

"You racist bastard! It's because we're Italian isn't it, you idiota. How the fuck would you feel if I said I saw a place hiring bullfighters eh?! You fucking piece of shit." I was cut off before I could say anything else.

"Fratello, calm down, it's just a restaurant. How could his friend possibly have known that we're Italian? Lovi, calm down, it's not that bad. Plus now you have a reason to wear your nice shoes and pants again." I was about to argue with Feli that they are not just pants. They are trousers. But Antonio's voice stopped me. 

"Lo Siento Lovi. I didn't mean anything like that, it's just the suggestion Francis gave me." He apologized and I tried my best to calm down before going inside only to get a weird look from Emma. 

"Why were you yelling? And at Toni? I mean he gets yelled at a lot but never by us?" She seemed upset but also slightly shocked. I contemplated telling her but brushed it off and just said "because he's a bastard." 

The rest of the class went by relatively fast and I will deny anything that implies I stared at Antonio's ass anytime I got the chance. When I was walking out I looked back to see Feli talking to the Spanish bastard and suddenly felt very suspicious of Feli. He was whispering like he didn't want me to hear him so I snuck up behind him and heard him whispering something about tomato plants. 

"Feli, why the shit are you talking about tomatoes?" He screamed and spun around. 

"Fratello! Don't sneak up on me like that!" He yelled in a voice way to high pitched, even for him. 

"Ok well can we go, I'd like to check out that racist Olive Garden job before heading home." I intentionally looked at Antonio when I mention the Olive Garden job to which he just ducked his head and sighed while rubbing the back of his neck. 

We made our way to the Olive Garden about 10 minutes away from the dance studio and walked through the door. They were very short staffed and nearly packed with customers. A girl with brown hair that was put in a bun ran over to us nearly out of breath.

"Hello, I'm Elizabeta and I'll be your waitress tonight." I put up my hand to stop her from wasting her breath. 

"We're actually here for the waiting positions. May we speak to a manager?" She seemed to smile and gave us the directions to the main office before rushing back to her tables. 

We walked to the back of the restaurant and went through a large mahogany door to see a short man with blonde hair. He looked up at us and raised a brow in question.

"Hello sir, I'm Lovino Vargas and this is my brother Feliciano Vargas and we're here to apply for the waiting jobs." He sighed and stood up to walk over to us. He held out his hand as he introduced himself to us.

"I'm Lukas Bondevik, I'll skip the forms for right now. Have either of you had a waiting job before?" I spoke up and told him that I had a waiting job at an apple bees before we moved. He nodded and called in a guy who looked a lot like him just with silver hair and lighter blue almost purple eyes. 

"This is my younger brother Emil, he'll get you set up and if you do well tonight the jobs are yours." He returned to his chair and Feli quickly texted Nonno to let him know we'd be home late. 

"Ok you're dressed pretty decently so I won't bother with uniforms tonight but here's your apron and here are the menus." He finished showing us where everything is and left to go help the other 2 waiters. I helped Feli understand what he had to do and he followed me to the family at the entrance.

"Welcome to Olive Garden, I'm Lovino and I'll be your waiter for the evening." I did a quick head count. 2 adults, 1 teen, and 2 children. I grabbed three large menus and two children's menus before leading them to an empty cleaned off booth. 

I finished with 5 tables and after they closed Feli and I helped clean tables and sort the menus before Lukas walked over to us. 

"Lovino, excellent work. Feli great personality but your kind of slow which is fine since your new. I'm going to give you these applications to fill out and bring them back here tomorrow, same time if you can." He said his peace then turned and left. 

When we walked through the door Nonno grabbed us both by the collars of our shirts and bashed our heads together. 

"Where were you?! I was worried sick! You could have given me a heart attack." I rubbed the sore spot on my head and looked at Feli. 

"I thought you texted him?" He took out his phone and checked it before giggling nervously.

"I texted but I guess I forgot to hit send." I raised my hand about to smack him upside the head when I heard Nonnos phone go off. He took it out and read whatever text he received before pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. 

"I'm happy you two were working but Feli was it necessary to send the message now?"

"Ve~" I snorted and went to the kitchen to grab something to eat since I didn't get to eat anything at all today. I came back out with a bowl of cereal and went up to my room while Feli told Nonno about his first day working.

I sat on my bed while I finished my cereal and decided I should at least thank the stupid Spaniard for pointing us toward a job. I took out my phone and fished the paper he gave me yesterday from my jacket before putting it in my phones contacts.

From: Lovino  
To: Bastard

"Hey idiota, I wanted to say thanks for helping us find a job today."

"Lovino? Aww, you're welcome *(´v`)~*"

"Shit your one of those people who put annoying faces at the end of everything you say"

"Maybe :D" 

"Fuck off. I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight Lovi." 

"Don't call me that, bastard"

I turned my phone on vibrate and put it on charge before setting it on the table beside my bed.

"Stupid idiot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *15:45 is 3:45pm  
> *16:02 is 4:02pm
> 
> Newly added characters  
> France/Francis, Hungary/Elizabeta, Norway/Lukas, Iceland/Emil


	4. Birthday

It's been a week since we started working and I regretted getting out of the shower today. I knew that as soon as I stepped outside of this bathroom I would be bombarded with 'Happy birthday!' and 'Your so old now.' Like 17 is fucking old. Yea sure. 

Every March 17th is the same. Of course Feliciano gets the same treatment but at least he enjoys it. I can't fucking stand it. I sighed and finished drying my hair before leaving the bathroom. 

As soon as I made it down the steps Nonno and Feli enveloped me in a hug while shouting 'Happy birthday!' I groaned and shoved them away, trying to get into the kitchen for some breakfast. 

"Yea yea happy birthday to you too Feli, now can I please get some food in my system?" He made his typical Veee sound before skipping outside where I'm sure some idiotic stupid people were waiting. I was about to make some cereal when Nonno stopped me.

"There's pizza outside Lovino. Before you ask yes I made it. Yes it has extra homemade tomato sauce on it. And yes you have to stay outside with everyone." Every time I opened my mouth to ask a question he answered it before I could get a word out. I got excited for Nonnos' homemade pizza however, I huffed in disappointment at the last sentence.

I went outside anyways, just for the pizza. As soon as I was outside I looked around and saw nearly everyone from dance class standing somewhere in our tiny backyard. I searched for Feli and saw him talking to Emma, Natalia and her older brother Ivan. Ivan scared the shit out of me but Feli seemed fine around him now. He screamed when he first met him and I laughed. Until I met him as well, then I screamed even louder. Fucking scary ass Russian. 

I was about to walk over to them when I heard someone yell my name. 

"Lovi!" Someone yelled as they crashed into me. I turned around and saw stupid Antonio smiling as wide as he could. 

"Happy birthday Lovi! I had no idea you were so young." I scowled at him and huffed.

"I am not that young! If anything your old" he laughed and flashed his dumb smile again. I wanna punch him.

"Oh Lovi I'm not that old. I just turned 20 last month." I chuckled and I felt my heart speed up at the thought that he's not much older than me. 'Maybe Nonno would allow us to-' Nope! Not today. I'm not thinking about that today. I refuse. Nope.

As I spaced out Tonio led me over to a really sunny part of the yard and placed something in my hands. I looked down and saw a potted plant. On the side of the pot were little tomato drawings with my curl coming off of them. 

"What the fuck is this?" I didn't notice Nonno walk by us and glared when he jumped on me again.

"Language Lovino." Tonio chuckled and dug some of the potting soil back up and around the plant before answering my question.

"It's a little Tomate plant. Your brother told me you love tomates so I decided to give you one of mine. Just make sure you take good care of it si." I felt my stomach practically melt so I tried my hardest not to let it show. 

"Antonio...you idiota. Why do the little tomatoes have my curl?" I nearly yelled at him and willed away the heat on my face. 

"Because they're you when you blush like you are now. You look like a little tomate." He had the biggest fucking smile and I wanted to punch him so bad but I refrained from it. However, I did 'accidentally' step on his foot as hard as I could. 

The rest of the party went by fairly quick and before I knew it, it was dark and mostly everyone had left. I went outside with a slice of pizza and saw Antonio sitting on the edge of the back porch drinking something that looked like wine. Smelled like wine too. I sat down next to him and quickly stole his glass to take a quick sip of its contents. Confirmed. It's wine.

"Lovino! You're still to young for alc-mmh" I slapped my hands over his mouth to silence him. He licked the palm of my hand and I instantly pulled it away. 

"Eww! Why the shit would you do that to me?" I whisper yelled. He just chuckled and sipped his wine. I was so tempted to steal another drink but decided not to. The man looked stressed so I let him keep his wine.

"What's the matter with you? You're never like this. You're usually a happy cheerful dumb taco eater." He laughed his charming stupid laugh and turned to look at me. 

"Lovino, normally I'd say I'll tell you when your older but I feel like you might understand this." I huffed and raised my eyebrow in question. 

"Oh shit are we about to have a heart to heart chat with feeling and all that?" He just laughed and shook his head.

"Heh no, just a piece of advice since your still young. Save up your money. Don't spend it all on mostly pointless things. You'll be poor and in debt before you know it if you're not careful." Well no shit. I just nodded and hummed.

"Your not that much older than me, so how in god' name are you in debt and poor already?" He rested his head on my shoulder and I could tell this wasn't his first glass of wine. He's at least buzzed.

"I've been dancing since I was 3 years old. I took classes my entire life and when I turned 15 I got a job teaching little kids to dance. Not the best pay but I enjoyed it. I never really bothered to save my money and bought a guitar when I turned 17. I paid for guitar lessons and when I turned 18 my parents kicked me out because they thought I was smoking pot like my brother. Emma was one of my best friends so I went to her for help." 

I didn't want to interrupt him because it was obvious he hasn't really told anyone else about this. He took a sip of his wine and frowned when he finished the glass before continuing. 

"Anyways her older brother, Lars. He helped me out and let me stay there until I could pay for an apartment. Not for free though. Oh no, he doesn't do much for free. He let me stay there as long as I promised to pay him back. After I had finally moved he gave me a month to pay him for everything. He added up the exact amount of money from water, electricity, food, and rent. By the time he had finished it was over 5000 euro. I knew I could never pay him that in a month so we made a compromise. I teach a free class everyday except on Sundays and Saturdays." 

He had somehow managed to move from my shoulder to my lap and was dozing off on me. I didn't have the heart to shake him off.

"I only make enough money to pay for my cheap apartment, my turtles, and food for myself. I still have over 2500 euro to pay back. I'll be living like this for at least another 3 years. Your very comfortable Lovi, thank you for listening to me. I don't have many people to talk too." 

As he was saying the last two sentences he was already mostly asleep. I looked down at the sleeping man and felt my face heat up. I've only known this man for 9 days and he's already spilling his life story to me. 

I sat there with the sleeping spaniard for another ten minutes before gently shaking him awake.

"Antonio, wake up a bit eh? Let's get you to the couch alright?" He mumbled sleepily but complied. I half walked half carried him inside to the futon. I pulled it out far enough from the wall and laid it out so it was basically a bed and helped Antonio lay on it without falling off. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water and some of my headache pills and placed them on the coffee table in front of him as well as a note saying that the bathroom was at the top of the steps. 

I sighed at the poor sight and went up to my room. When I opened the door and turned the light on I saw Feli sitting on my bed playing on his phone as well as a giant blob wrapped in purple wrapping paper. I cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Oh Fratello, I was waiting for you. Did you have fun with Antonio?" He waggled his eyebrows at me and stood up to grab my hand.

"What the fuck is that?" I asked pointing to the giant wrapped blob and he giggled.

"Nonno helped but I paid for it mostly. It's your birthday present from Nonno and I. Go ahead and open it, it's heavy though." I raised and eyebrow but walked over to slowly peel away layer and layer of wrapping paper. When I felt velvet brush my hand I looked down to see bright red fabric. I started unwrapping it faster.

When I was finally finished I had tears in my eyes. "Your so stupid Fratello." I said as I stood up and embraced him in a rare hug.

"Thank you so much Feliciano." I will forever deny that a giant tomato beanbag from my brother made me cry. However, I was full out crying into his shoulder. 

"Aww Lovino, it's ok. I know how much you liked it and I felt I just had to get it for you. Just make sure you thank Nonno too because he paid for some of it." We continued to hug and talk before bed and when he finally went to go to bed Nonno came in. 

"So I take it you like the present?" I ran to hug him as well and thanked him.

"Do you know what you want to get Feli tomorrow? I'll take you out since I have tomorrow off as well." I nodded and told him and he agreed since Feli's been wanting one for years now. It was to dangerous to have one at the old house but now he can finally have one. I wanted one as well but not nearly as much as Feli did. 

I went to sleep that night thinking of everything that led up to this. I have a grandfather that takes care of us, a brother who loves me even though he's an idiot, and a guy that I really like who might also like me back. Judging by the way he opened up to me and gave me his number I'd say I have a pretty good shot with this guy. 


	5. Veneziano

A strange but familiar sound woke me up from a peaceful happy sleep. I stretched as I stood up and made my way to the bathroom next to Felis room. I opened the door and saw Antonio on his knees retching his guts up. We haven't even lived here two weeks, and already two people have vomited in this toilet. I salute you.

I walked up behind him and brushed his hair out of his face sighing as I did so. He jumped when I touched him and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth to say something but he quickly jerked his head back over and emptied his stomach into the veteran toilet. I tried not to throw up as well. 

After he was done and we were downstairs I made him take the headache pills and drink some water. He chugged the glass before smiling at me.

"Ahh thank you Lovi, I wouldn't have found the bathroom without your note. And I'm uh I'm sorry about anything I may have said last night. I don't remember all of it but I know I shouldn't have burdened you with it. And tell your grandfather I said thank you for letting me stay over last night." I was gonna reply to him but just then Nonno walked into the room.

"Oh Antonio?" He looked at me with a raised brow and a questioning look which then turned into a smirk. 

"Antonio, Lovino and I are going out today. Would you like a ride home or to work?" Antonio looked at his watch before desperately nodding.

"Ah si, a ride to work would be great." I huffed and glared at my grandfather before stalking upstairs to get dressed and grab my wallet. I opened my door and saw Tonio with his fist raised about to knock. 

"Your breath smells awful, come in here bastard," I said as I walked past him to the bathroom. I handed him my mouthwash to which he gratefully took a swig of. When he spit it out in the sink his breath was a lot better. 

"Thank you Lovi, for everything." I grunted "Don't mention it. Really. Don't." He chuckled and nodded as he followed me down the steps and out to Nonnos car. 

"Shotgun!" I yelled as Feli and Nonno came out with us.

"Aww but Lovino, aren't you gonna sit in the back with your friend?" Asked Nonno with a teasing voice.

"He's not my friend! He's my teacher!" I yelled but when I looked over at Tonios sad face I mumbled a reluctant "fine" and climbed into the back with the stupid Spaniard who instantly smiled. 

Nonno has a really small car so my side was all up on Antonio's side and he was all shits and giggles about it. I just felt flustered and upset. Nonno kept looking at me in the rearview mirror with this cheesy fucking smile and Feli was texting Lars to let him know Tonios coming. It's only 11:50 and Antonios acting like he's an hour late. 

"Chill bastard, it's only a five-minute drive from here to the studio. I mean look, you can already see the sign." He sighed in relief and placed his hand on mine. I was about to yell and smack him but he looked at me with these fucking puppy dog eyes and squeezed my hand. 

Even when he was getting out of the car I was still all stiff and nervous. I only looked up from my lap when he spoke to me.

"I'll see you tonight Lovi. Bye Feli and thank you for the ride Romulus." he shut the door and almost instantly Nonno turned to look at me.

"My little Lovino has a crush!" 

"I do not!" I yelled back even though my red face betrayed me.

"Little Lovino has a crush on his dance teacher!~" he sing-songed

"Little Lovino has a crush on nobody! Especially not his dance teacher!" I could feel a smile creep up on my face to join my betrayal blush but I willed it away.

We continued to bicker until we dropped Feli off at some Mini shop he was obsessed with and made our way to the pet store.

When we walked in all I could smell was fresh pine bedding and cat litter. I didn't even bother with the other animals until I went to walk past the fish area and spotted a little glass turtle. I remembered everything Antonio told me last night and remember him saying he has pet turtles. I grabbed it. Not because it reminded me of him or anything. Nope. Nonno looked at me but said nothing.

We walked over to the cats and looked for the perfect one. There was a fancy looking white one, a tiny black one that looked like it had a ponytail almost, another little black and white one curled up against the black one. There were a few more weird looking ones and I had almost given up when a little light brown head popped out from under a black and looked at me with half-lidded eyes. It gave a light meow that sounded scarcely like Felis 'Ve' and I pointed to it.

"That one." Nonno nodded and got the attention of a guy working there. An Asian looking guy came over.

"Hey, what can I help you with?" I looked at his name tag which said 'Leon' and realized this was Emil's boyfriend.

"I want the little brown kitten in the back." He nodded and unlocked the cage before grabbing the little kitten. He meowed like he was being murdered. Perfect, another crybaby. I sighed and grabbed a litter box and some litter while Nonno grabbed some food and toys.

We drove back home before picking Feli up so I could set the litter box up and give the kitten some food and water. After everything was in order and the kitten was asleep on Felis bed we drove back out and picked Feli up. After we got him Nonno drove us to the school.

The women at the office printed us our schedules and told us to go look around and that classes end in about 15 minutes. I groaned as Feli drug me around to look at every classroom there was.

We only managed to find our first two classes when a bell rang and students started coming out of classrooms and heading toward lockers or toward the closest exit. I recognized Natalia and Emil and was about to go talk to one of them when a person with white hair and red eyes bumped into me. Nevermind this isn't a person. It's a fucking demon. I literally screamed and the demon just fucking laughed at me like it was gonna devour my soul.

"Ahahaha! It's ok, the awesome me isn't going to hurt you. Hey, you look familiar. Hmm? Oh, your Toni's new students. He never shuts up about you, it's kind of annoying." I had calmed down when he mentioned Antonio and now I was just basically glaring at this asshole.

"Who the fuck are you?" I yelled out which got me some weird looks from the other students.

"I am the awesome Gilbert. I'm surprised Toni hasn't mentioned me. Has he at least mentioned Francis?" Oh. This fucker.

"Oh yeah, now I remember you. He always goes on about how much he hates you both." I chuckled inwardly but my fun , when he just laughed.

"Ahaha! Tony said you were a sarcastic little shit but my god was he right." Just then his phone started to ring with the familiar sound of Skype. He swore in what I'm assuming was German and rushed outside as he answered the call.

"Come on I wanna introduce you to someone!" He yelled over his shoulder. I wasn't about to run so I just followed the sound of him laughing like a lunatic. When we got outside he had his phone in his hand and there was a much deeper more German-sounding voice coming from the device. 

"Ah Luddy, remember the zesty Italian I told you about? Yea the one Tony's hanging out with now. Well, he's here and I want you to meet him and his brother. They're so adorable." He was speaking to the person on the phone and I rushed forward yelling at this idiot once again.

"Don't just fucking talk about us to someone we don't know! You asshat!" He just laughed and I scowled at him. However, my Fratello was chatting away with whoever was on the phone. I was about to yell at him to not to talk to strangers but then I recognized the look in his eyes. Well shit. This German asshats friend is gonna be the death of me.

"Ah, this is meine little brother Ludwig. He's not as awesome as me but he's still pretty awesome." Well, double shit. This German asshats younger brother is gonna be the death of me. I groaned and drug my brother away but not before he got this potato heads number. He was already putting it in his phone as we walked to the car. Well shit.

After all that bullshit was over and done with we went to dance class. I didn't bother saying anything to Antonio about Gilbert. Or his stupid potato-faced brother. 

Dance class came and went and before I knew it we were already changing back into our regular clothes. Everyone was leaving, even Fratello but something compelled me to wait for Tonio. I didn't see him anywhere so I was about to just go ahead and leave when I felt my phone vibrate.

From: Bastard  
To: Lovino

"Loviiiii! Wait for meee!!! I wanna ask you something!!!! D: "

"I'm already waiting for you, you bastard."

Nearly as soon as I sent that text I realized my mistake. When I heard feet running toward me I looked up and regretted that message even more.

"Lovi!" He yelled as he tackled me into a hug. "You waited for me! You're so sweet." Sweet. He called me sweet. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I'll fucking show him sweet. 

"Let go, bastard," I said as a warning. He didn't.

rearview I scowled at him and gave him one last warning.

"Let go or die, shithead!" He still didn't. I reared my head back as far as I could in this position and slammed it as hard as I could against his, skull which emitted a loud thunk sound and instantly I felt a headache coming on. When he looked at me he had tears in his eyes. Fucking tears. 

"Oww Lovi. Why would you hurt me so? Why would you hurt boss like this?" I chuckled darkly. 

"Boss? You're not my fucking boss. You're my teacher and you're not even on the clock anymore so now your just my fri-." I stopped myself and looked for a quick cover-up. He stopped grasping his head and looked at me with wide eyes. 

"What?" I racked my brain and put out the best excuse I could find.

"You're my fratellos friend." His face seemed to sadden and I groaned internally.

"Ugh, what did you want bastard?" He seemed to perk right back up when I asked.

"Oh, I was wondering if you'd like to come street perform with me? I do it every Friday and I know you don't have work tonight so I thought you might like to come with me." I was about to quickly decline and dammit I still should but his fucking face with his fucking puppy dog eyes and fucking pouty lip and his-

"Ugh fine." He cheered and grabbed my arm to drag me with me.

"Let go or I'll headbutt you again idiota." He instantly dropped his hand from my arm.

We chatted a little on the way to his apartment and I waited outside while he ran in and grabbed his guitar. When he came back out he had the large instrument slung over his back and two tomatoes in his hand. He handed me one.

"That's one of my homegrown tomates, I hope you like it." His face seemed a little redder than usual. He was blushing. It made me happy that he was blushing over giving me a tomato. I bit into it and it was probably the best I've ever had. Although I really didn't want to I smiled which caused the idiot to smile as well. 

We munched on our tomatoes as we made our way to the corner where there seemed to be a lot of people out. People were shopping, kids were playing and teens were judging. The perfect place to street perform. Antonio sat down on a large rock and took his guitar off his back to tune it. 

I've never heard Tonio play so when he started to play it took me a second to realize that wonderful sound was coming from him. I sighed in content and closed my eyes to listen to him play. When I opened my eyes again there were a few people standing around us listening to the music.

"You should get up and dance Lovi? I'm sure everyone would like to see it." I was about to swear at him but I noticed the children and changed my words.

"Yea right, I'm sure everyone would just love to see me dance to something so slow." He suddenly changed to a more upbeat song and kids started coming over to dance. Nothing near as professional as I can do but just cute little kids and bambinos having fun. I smiled and wanted to laugh along with them but stopped myself. 

"Excuse me, mister? Do ya wanna come and dance with us?" I looked down at the little girl and sighed as I let her pull me along with her to the middle of the semicircle. The music got a little faster and a little more upbeat. And as I danced with the children I felt myself start to loosen up. 

Soon the music got quicker and I had at least 7 children dancing with me. I couldn't stop the happy laughter that left me and turned to look at Antonio who stood up and walked over to us while still playing. Never stopping the happy strum of his guitar he started to dance with us. 

I completely forgot about everything else in my life. All that mattered to me right now was Antonio, the music, dancing, and these children. This is the most I've smiled in years, probably since mama died. 

Too soon however, the kids started to dwindle away as the sky grew darker. There were only three kids dancing with me now and I willed myself to slowly stop and I went to walk over to Tonio when I felt little arms wrap around my legs. 

"Thank you, mister. I hope you come back next week too." The little girl said and went back to her mother. I felt happy tears prick my eyes but I couldn't will them away. I sat next to Antonio as he finished his current song and thanked all the kids and people for listening. He did a dramatic bow and offered me his hand. I took it and he pulled me up to my feet. 

As we were nearing my house I still felt that giddy feeling. As we reached my doorstep I went to turn around to thank Tonio for a great time but when I saw the happy smile on his face I felt something in me stir. I turned around completely and looked at this gorgeous man. I really looked at him. his thick eyelashes, the gold flecks in his eyes, his plump pink lips. Nothing went unnoticed. I felt myself slowly lean into him and felt his chest press lightly against my own. I felt his warm hand wrap around my back while the other rested on my hip. I felt his warm breath on my lips. I felt his lower lip barely brush against mine.

"Lovi." I felt him whisper my name and went to lean on him further and connect our lips when I snapped back to reality. He seemed to notice the change and instantly let me go except for the hand on my hip. 

"I gotta go inside, I-I'm sorry. Thank you for the wonderful time." I rambled out before quickly opening the door and slipping inside. I shut the door and rested my forehead against it. I jumped when I heard Nonnos voice.

"Did you have fun?" I nodded and spun around to head upstairs. I stopped for a second when Nonno said something that I didn't even want to admit to myself.

"You really like that guy don't you Lovino?" I made a weird choking noise and ran upstairs to my room.

I hurled myself on my bed and tried so hard to forget the feel of his lips so close to my own. I tried to forget the feeling of his warm breath against my lips. I tried to forget him in general. But I couldn't. And it scared me. It scared me that I like this guy so much even though I barely know anything about him. He could be a player or a drug dealer or a stripper! Ok well, maybe not a stripper but he would be a good one if he was one. 

I don't know how long I laid there but when I got up my pillow was slightly wet and I had wet streaks running down my face. And Feli was knocking on the door. I quickly wiped my face off and flipped my pillow over before opening the door. 

He embraced me in a hug which I gently returned and tried not to let anymore tears escape me. 

"Ahh Fratello, thank you so much! I love him. I love you. You're the best big brother ever." When he pulled away to look at me I saw happy tears in his eyes and a huge smile going across his face. I felt numb but at least I could act happy for the moment.   
"Happy birthday Fratello. What'd you name the hairball?" He smiled even wider if that was possible.

"Veneziano. His name is Veneziano and I love him." He hugged me again and rambled away about Veneziano. I slowly dozed off listening to him talk about his kitten. I woke slightly when I heard my door click closed but soon fell back asleep to dream of Veneziano with Feliciano's voice. Weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now have no way to check the grammar so I'm terribly sorry for grammar errors or spelling errors.
> 
> New characters:  
> Prussia/Gilbert  
> Germany/Ludwig  
> Hong Kong/Leon


	6. Blame the wall

It's been about 2 months since I almost kissed Antonio. Since then I've been avoiding him as much as I can. I wouldn't stay after class to talk to him anymore, I'd go straight to work and pretend to not hear him shouting my name behind me. I never answered any of his texts or calls. He even stopped by once but I had Feli tell him I was sick.

"Lovino, you can't run from this forever. Your brother and I are very worried about you." I grunted and pulled my pillow over my face while I attempted to tune Nonno out.

"Five more minutes." He snorted 

"I guess I'll just have Feli bring the glass of water up." I shot out of bed and glared at him.

"I'm up. I'll be down in a minute." He laughed and I envied how carefree this man was. I stretched and walked over to my closet. I pulled out my black trousers and folded them neatly before putting them in my bag for work tonight. I then grabbed a violet purple long sleeve shirt, even though it was fucking hot outside. I grabbed my grey skinny jeans and quickly got dressed before rushing to the bathroom to brush my teeth. 

I grabbed my bag and ran to the car so I could sit up front today. As soon as I sat down I plugged my earbuds in and was enveloped in a musical euphoria. Gilbert's boyfriend would love my use of big words to describe music, I doubt he'd like my taste in music though. 

I walked to my first class and took my seat next to Gilbert. We were both seniors but he got held back a year for playing pranks instead of studying. Albino idiot. 

"Hey Lovino, Toni said the usual. Also an extra bit." He made a show of clearing his throat before launching into his Antonio impression, which was just a higher pitched German version of Toni's voice.

"Oh Lovi, I'm so sorry for what happened. Please talk to me. Also, you should tell the awesome Gilbert what happened that night." I chuckled darkly and grabbed him by his hair.

"Now you listen here, you Snow White bastard. If you try to get me to tell you what happened that night one more time I swear I will put black hair dye into your shampoo." He struggled and I let him go.

"Oww ok! You don't have to be so mean! You should try being nicer, like your brother!" I felt a raging anger engulf me. It traveled down my arm and through my fist. 

I punched him. 

Shit. Fuck. Nonnos gonna be pissed.

"Ow shit Lovino!" Yelled Gilbert.

"Lovino Vargas! Office! Now!" Yelled the teacher. 

I came out of the office with an in-school suspension slip. For 3 days. They wanted to do after school detention but after I explained that I had expensive dance classes and work after school they just gave me a suspension. They also called Nonno and told him what happened. I soon received a text from him.

From: Ancient Ass Bastard  
To: Lovino

"The school told me what happened. We'll talk tonight when you get home from work."

I didn't bother replying and just forced myself through the rest of my classes. Making sure to avoid Gilbert and any of his friends.

I made sure to make it to dance class before Feli because I know that he's heard about this morning. I went to do my stretches by myself away from everyone else. Roderich kept glaring at me from across the room.

I sighed as I finished my stretches and watched as Lars walked out of the office and stood in front of all of us. Antonio and our other instructor Tino on either side of him. 

"Ok as most of you all know our yearly annual summer dance play is coming up in August. We have the two main shows then the simple show. I'll tell you all the details before you all leave however the main three couples have been chosen. First off Ivan is going to be dancing with his sister Natalia. Next, we have Toris and Katyusha. Then finally we have Antonio and Emma as our lead couple. Here are the three songs we'll be learning too-" At that point, I had stopped listening and started running.

I had no idea where I was going but all I knew was that I had to run. At the end of the dance, the main couple had to kiss. I didn't want to see Antonio kiss Emma. I didn't want to see Antonio kiss anybody. I didn't want Antonio to kiss anybody! I felt like all the air had left my lungs and was replaced with a toxic gas. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body. Not the good kind of adrenaline though. The bad kind that made you want to do something stupid.

When I finally stopped running I realized I was at the street corner where Antonio plays. Heavy warm tears fell from my eyes. My lungs burned. I was jealous. I was so jealous. Of Emma. Of Feli. I was jealous of fucking everyone. I mean it's not like I had a chance of getting to dance with Antonio but still. Everything hurt.

I was suddenly filled with a burning rage and kicked the brick wall beside me as hard as I could. A sharp pain ran up my leg and I dropped to the ground in favor of cradling my hurt ankle. Why was I so stupid? Why couldn't I just be normal? Like Feliciano. I laid there and cried for what felt like days but must've only been about 20 minutes because I soon received a text from Feli.

From: Stupid Fratello  
To: Lovino

Hey, Tonio is worried. I'm worried. Where'd you go fratello? Are you ok?" 

"Shut up! I'm fine. But can you come to the street corner? I can't walk." I quickly typed out.

"wHAT?!?!?! ARE YOU ALRIGHT???" I groaned 

"I'm fine idiot, I think I either sprained or broke my ankle. I'm gonna have to wrap it up or something before work." 

"Oh no fratello! I'm helping Feliks right now but I'll send someone over." 

"It better not be fucking Antonio."

"Ve~ ok Tonios on his way." I wanted to bang my head on the pavement but thought better of it.

"Fuck you Feli!" He sent me one more text before returning to whatever the fuck it was he was doing. 

"He ran out the door screaming 'Boss Tonio to the rescue!' Your boyfriends a cutie." I felt my face go red and accidentally swore out loud which got me some bad looks from disapproving mothers. 

"He's not my boyfriend you asshat!" 

Soon after Feli had stopped messaging me I heard heavy footsteps running somewhere behind me. I figured he wouldn't see me laying on the ground so I hollered for him. 

"Hey, bastard! I'm down here." I tried to wipe the tears from my eyes but failed to do so since more just came right after.

"Lovi? Where are you?" This idiota is standing right next to me. I kicked him lightly with my good leg and he looked down at me with a surprised look.

"Oh, Lovi what happened? Is it broken? Wiggle your toes." I tried to wiggle them but it hurt, however, I did manage to wiggle them enough to know I at least didn't break my foot.

"I can wiggle them, just help me up and take me somewhere I can wrap my ankle up before work." He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up completely. Fucking bridal style.

"I can walk myself, you fucking taco eater!" He raised his brow at me in question before slowly setting me on my feet. I nearly fell instantly. 

"Ugh fine but can I at least ride on your back instead? I don't wanna be carried around like some fucking damsel in distress." He chuckled and helped me climb onto his back.

"Sure Lovi. But do you really think you can work? You can't even stand by yourself?" I couldn't afford to lose this job.

"I can't lose this job Tonio, I'll just take a lot of painkillers before I go in." He sighed but didn't argue. 

We walked in a half awkward half comfortable silence until we reached a building. I looked up and saw we were at his apartment. He opened the door and carried me up two flights of stairs before unlocking a door and walking in. He kicked the door shut and carried me over to a single rocking chair before sitting me in it. He left the room for a moment and came back with a little black box that I'm assuming to be a medical kit.

"Take your shoe off and let me look at it Lovi." I did as he said without arguing and took my dance shoe off as well as the black socks we were required to wear. He smiled slightly and gently grasped my foot. It looks really swollen and red. I sighed and knew I probably wouldn't be dancing for a while.

"Judging by the swelling and the fact that you can wiggle your toes I'd say it's a really bad sprain. How did this happen Lovi? Did someone hurt you?" His voice went a few octaves deeper and I looked at him to see a menacing look on his face.

"Yes. A wall hit me and it sprained my ankle." He looked at me for a few seconds and I was honestly surprised it took him that long to get that I was being sarcastic. 

"Why did you kick a wall Lovi?" He took out some swelling cream and slowly applied it to my foot.

"I don't wanna talk about it bastard. Ahaha!" I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth.

"You heard nothing!" He smiled evilly.

"Is Lovi ticklish?" He slowly drug his finger across the bottom of my foot and I could stop the laugh that escaped me. 

"Ah, as much as I love your laugh I'm afraid I can't use your injury against you. It would be wrong of me." He sighed dramatically and went back to rubbing the cream into my skin. He hit a really sore spot and I instinctively jerked my foot back.

"Lo siento, I didn't mean to press too hard." I checked my phone and seen I still had about an hour until work so I relaxed slightly as he continued to work on my foot. I decided it was time to stop running from the inevitable. At least a little bit.

"Hey, Antonio. I'm uh I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. So you can stop telling your idiot friend to tell me the same message every day." I mumbled through the short apology and looked away from his face. When I did sneak a glance at him he had tears in the corners of his eyes and a warm smile on his face.

"Oh thank you Lovino! Does this mean you'll talk to me now? I've missed you so much." He stood up enough to try to hug me. I allowed it for a few seconds but soon I told him to let go or I'll headbutt him again. He let go and finished wrapping my foot in the thickest bandage I've ever seen.

"Yes, I'll talk to you again and shut up with that cheesy shit. Also why the fuck is my foot wrapped in a bandage the size of my home country?" He stood up and helped me out of the chair.

"The thicker it is the easier it will be for you to walk on it." He said with his finger pointed up like he was saying something super important. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the man. It was just then I noticed a strange sound that sounded like running water coming from one of the rooms.

"Tonio? What's that noise?" He cocked his head to the side in question like a little puppy before his eyes lit up and he helped me walk to what I'm assuming was his bedroom. His twin size bed was a mess, the blanket was halfway off the mattress and one of the pillows was on the floor. There was a dresser shoved against the opposite wall with a leather belt and some golden earrings on it. I looked over at Antonio and saw he did, in fact, have his ears pierced. 'I wonder why he doesn't wear them?'

Then like a blind idiot I just noticed probably the most expensive thing he owned. A 150-gallon long tank with what looked like 5 or maybe 6 adult turtles in there. Three were swimming in the water and two were on a fake log that was in there and then there was a smaller one laying on a sandbank. 

"This is so cool! But wait, why do you have turtles when you're in debt and can barely pay for yourself?" I didn't mean to sound rude. Ok fuck that, of course, I meant to sound rude but he just laughed.

"Ahh well, it's a funny story actually. You see my brother and I went through a delinquent phase when we were 17 and we went to this restaurant one day. We knew they had turtles in the back so my brother started causing a distraction. He pretended to fracture his arm and made a big show of it."

"Meanwhile I snuck in the back and grabbed all 15 turtles that were in the tank. They were still little so I put them in a plastic to-go container and stuffed them in my backpack. I snuck out and walked past João acting like I didn't know the guy even though we're technically twins."

"Dad threw a fit when he found 15 little turtles in the bathtub the next morning. But he still has 3 of them to this day. João has 6, I have 6 and my dad has 3. They still don't know who stole their turtles."

By the time he finished his story I had tears running down my face from laughing so hard. I was scared of this man before. Now I find out he stole 15 turtles when he was my age.

"Hold on! You went through a delinquent phase. So you stole fucking turtles? Why the fuck did you steal turtles?" I was howling with laughter at this point.

"We thought we were saving them." He said with a shrug and a smile. 

After I had calmed my laughter down and made sure I could walk I thanked Antonio for helping me and went to walk out the door. 

"Ah, Lovi wait up! I'll walk you to work out? Gotta make sure no more walls try to hit you." I was gonna yell that I could watch out for myself but I looked at him and saw the joking smile on his face. That stupid fucking adorable smile.

"Fine. But only if you tell me more of your 'delinquent' stories." He smiled and launched into this story about how he tried to ride a bull out of the stadium once because his brother dared him too. I smiled to myself and thanked whatever God there was that Tonio and I were talking again. God how I've missed this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and criticism are always welcome. How am I doing? What can I fix? 
> 
> New characters:  
> Portugal/João


	7. Brotherly Love

"You're doing fine Emma," I said to my friend as I sat on her front porch and watched her dance. It's only been a few weeks since Tonio and I started talking again and I didn't feel as jealous of Emma anymore. So here I was with my ankle still wrapped up and helping Emma learn her steps. I stood up and limped over to help correct her step.

"You know, you're a much better dancer than me. You should be the one to dance with Tonio." She said as she looked at me with an innocent cat-like smile but I saw right through it. In her eyes, there was a smug malicious spark that honestly scared me.

"Shut up," I mumbled and looked away.

"Lovino. There's really no use trying to hide it. Everyone at the studio knows. I'm even pretty sure Antonio knows and he's the most oblivious person I've ever known." I sighed and ignored the heat on my cheeks as I looked at her.

"Yeah ok. But so what? It's not like it matters and there's nothing I can do about it." I repeated her steps as best as I could with my ankle still hurt and showed her where to place her feet after the first spin. I then proceeded to show her the rest of the steps and helped her follow along.

"I'm sure if you told Lars he'd let you take my place. He doesn't really care about homophobic people attending the show. He even thought about putting Toris and Feliks together again, but not after last year." She visibly shivered and it made me to scared to ask. But I did anyway. "What happened last time?"

"We were doing a Dirty Dancing theme last year and Feliks went all out. He was grinding on Toris and everything. I honestly felt bad for Toris, sometimes his boyfriend is just too much." I nodded.

"Well, it's not really the whole dancing thing that fucking bothers me. Although I guess it would be kinda nice to dance with Tonio." She chuckled and continued to follow the steps with me.

"It's the whole kissing thing, isn't it? Don't worry I begged Lars to take it out, apparently, Antonio tried to as well." I looked at her with a slightly surprised questioning look.

"Why? I thought you two were like 'Best Friends Forever'" I said with a Feliks impression.

"Haha no. We just have a bit of history together." I felt the jealousy rise up again but as she explained it went away.

"You see when we were 15 we started dating. Neither of us had any relationship experience at the time. Then after about 3 weeks of going out, we kissed and both decided it was uncomfortable. I had an idea why so I told Antonio. He agreed that we should try kissing someone of the same sex. When we did I knew instantly that I strictly liked only women and he said he liked men. So we just stuck to being friends after that."

It took me a second to take in everything she just said but when I did I felt three emotions course through me. Anger, sadness, then joy. Maybe I had a better chance with him than I originally thought. I was gonna ask her what I should do but she beat me to it.

"I have work soon, thank you for helping me practice. Also, I think you should talk to Antonio. He clearly likes you and he's not a bad person to be with. He's just slow sometimes." I smiled and said my goodbyes to her before walking back home only to encounter more trouble. 

I walked through the front door just in time for dinner. We all sat down and it was relatively peaceful until Nonno brought up a certain Spaniard.

"So Lovino, have you and your teacher finally started dating? Nonno wants great-grandchildren." He said with a laugh. I felt my face flush heavily.

"Nonno! First off, fuck you. Secondly, of course not. And thirdly, even if by some miracle we did get together we wouldn't be able to h-have children!" I yelled. I can already hear him correcting my language.

"Language Lovino, how many times must I tell you. But ok, I understand, you're not ready. Now then what about you Feli? Any nice young women you're interested in? Or could it be that you're possibly into men like your fratello? You know I've had a few men in my time as well." Felis face flushed and I thought 'oh no, here it comes. He's gonna admit he has a crush of that potato bastard.' I was slightly off.

"Ve~ actually I have a boyfriend who lives in Germany." I spaced out.

"Oh really? That's wonderful news Feli! What's his name? Is he handsome?" 

"His name is Ludwig and oh yes he's very handsome. He actually wants to meet you sometime soon. Of course, it will have to be on the computer but he really wants to-" my brain caught up and I was furious.

"What the hell Feli?! Why the fuck are you going out with that fucking potato bastard? He's probably faking his real identity just to lead you on. He probably doesn't even fucking like you!" When I took a breath from yelling Nonno went to speak up but Feli interrupted him.

"He is not faking his identity and he does like me! Why else would he go out with me and text me all the time?" Once again Nonno was gonna speak up but this time I interrupted him.

"Because he's a shithead that just wants to get in your pants or have you send him nudes!" At this point, Nonno stopped trying to get a word in.

"Well, at least I have a boyfriend Lovino! You've been pining for Antonio for months now, but you don't have the nerve to ask him out! I told Luddy I liked him within the first 2 weeks of knowing him!" His face turned red and there were angry tears falling from his face. I knew this was my fault but I couldn't help it.

"You fucking leave Antonio out of this! This is about your stupid ass boyfriend who's using you for fucking fap material!" At that point, I was crying as well and Nonno decided to intervene.

"Enough! Both of you! You shouldn't be fighting over this. You should be sticking together and helping each other. Feli it's great that you have a boyfriend. But your brother does have a bit of a point, please be safe and don't send him bad pictures of yourself. Lovino, it's not bad that you haven't progressed your relationship with Antonio but your brothers right. You should tell him soon before he moves on and finds someone else." 

I didn't bother to stick around to hear the rest of what he had to say. I ran straight out the door. Not bothering to grab a jacket or slip on some shoes. I didn't know where to go but I knew who I could talk to.

I knocked (pounded) on his door a few times, hoping he would answer. He didn't. So I sat down in front of it and lightly banged my head on the door. I sent a quick text to Nonno telling him I went to Tonios and that I would be home soon. I didn't bother to see what he sent back but I knew I was probably in trouble.

I sat there for about 30 minutes waiting before I heard light happy humming coming from down the hall. I looked down and there was Antonio, carrying paper bags of groceries and playing music through his earbuds. 

When he opened his eyes and looked up he stopped for a minute then ran toward me.

Lovi? What's wrong? You never come here? Did something happen?" I shushed him.

"Shut up and let me in idiota." He nodded and unlocked his door. I took a bag from him and helped him put his groceries up. 

"Hey, did you and your brother ever fight?" He chuckled and sighed right after.

"All the time. We still fight sometimes, but that doesn't mean I don't love him any less. Did you and Feli get into a fight?" I nodded but realized he couldn't see me.

"Si, Feli has this stupid long distance German boyfriend and he didn't bother to tell me about it or anything." I hated being so open about my problems but I decided if Tonio and mines relationship is gonna progress like Nonno said then I gotta be a little more open.

"What's so wrong with him having a boyfriend? I mean besides the fact that he didn't tell you? Are you uh against uhm same-sex relationships?" He sounded nervous and slightly scared.

"Geez, why does everyone assume I'm against gays. I'm so straight that if I was a pencil I'd be fucking broken in half. And I'm upset because I've had my eye on someone for months now but I'm to fucking chicken to tell the guy. Then my fucking brother has only known this cunting German guy for about a month and he's already dating him!" I huffed out only half realizing what exactly I said.

"Your gay?" That's all he said. That's all he fucking said.

"No, I'm pastasexual. Yes, I'm fucking gay you idiota. Well technically I guess I'm bi, but you get the damn point. Is that the only thing you got out of that? Out of every fucking little thing, I just said?" I was so upset and I didn't mean to take it out on him but I couldn't help it. I groaned and turned around to just leave and go back home. However, I guess as soon as it clicked in his brain what I was doing he hugged me from behind.

"I'm sorry Lovi, I don't mean to be so slow sometimes, I just didn't expect you to be...well you know. Gay." He sighed and I felt his warm breath against my neck. He felt too close, way too close. 

"Bi. And yeah well, I am. Now, will you let go of me?" He did the exact opposite and instead pulled me closer to him. My back was pressed flush against his chest and I could feel his heartbeat speed up slightly.

"Lovino? Who's the guy you have your eye on?" He basically growled in my ear, his voice deep and husky. I felt my knees go weak and my stomach melt. He was too fucking close, this was too much. I'm gonna tell him something that I'm not ready to tell him. So I shoved him away.

"I said let go bastard. And it's just someone I've met since coming to Spain. Besides, that's not even my problem right now." He seemed to calm down back to his normal self after I said that but he did have a sad look in his eye.

"What is your problem, Lovi? What's troubling you?" I looked away from his heavy gaze and debated if I should tell him or not. Nonno said to be open, so I'll try to be. I said it all in one rushed breath before I could back out. 

"I'm jealous of Feliciano because he's so fucking perfect. He can get a boyfriend, he can make friends, he can paint, he can cook better than me, he's cute, he's nice, he's just so fucking perfect and then there's me. Pathetic little Lovino who's only real talent is dancing. It's the only thing I'm better at than Feli." I hadn't noticed until after my rant but I was crying again.

"Tonio you don't understand, everyone likes Feli better, I mean I can't really blame them but all I want is to find one person who likes me more than my brother. I love mi Fratello, but I want someone to love me more than him. I want to be worth it to somebody. Not just the 'other twin' or the 'other brother' or 'second best'. Our own mother liked Feli better than she did me."

My face was red and I was straight out sobbing my heart out to this man. I slowly carried my body towards him and it felt like I suddenly weighed 1000 pounds more. I walked into his open arms and hugged him tighter than anyone I've ever hugged. I hugged him like I hugged my grandfather when mom died. I hugged him like I hugged my brother when our father left us. I desperately needed Tonio and I trusted him with my feelings, just for a moment. Even though I know in a few hours I'll regret everything and try to avoid him again. 

By the time my loud sobbing was reduced to little hiccups and sniffles Toni's shirt was soaked in nearly every liquid that could come from my face. The entire time I cried he mumbled soothing words and I was thankful that he didn't act overly comforting. He just held me to his chest and let me cry. When I pulled away slightly I glanced at his face and saw that he was crying as well. 

"I'm sorry Lovino, I'm a contagious cryer. You know when I used to feel like that toward my brother I would dance. I would slow dance and cry. At that time in my life, I had no one so I would dance by myself to old Spanish love songs on the radio." He lent over and turned on an older model radio. An old 1930-1950s song started to play and he held his hand out to me, the one that wasn't on my waist from when I was crying.

I took his hand.

It started out as just side to side rocking, then our feet started to glide across the floor. Soon we were spinning in circles and I eventually felt all my sadness and anger disappear. I pulled him a little closer and relaxed further into the rhythm of the song. He stopped leading and let me take over for a while. Though I enjoyed him leading it was nice to lead as well. I appreciated that he would let me, it made me feel on equal ground with him.

As we waltzed and danced across his small living room I felt a smile slide onto my face. I didn't allow it to get to big, just a small happy smile. I sighed in content as the song ended and slowed us to a stop. I hugged him one last time before letting him go.

"Grazie, Tonio. I'll kill you if you tell anyone about this, especially Gilbert." He chuckled and squeezed my hand.

"De nada, mi am- uh Lovi." He blushed profusely and I didn't understand why but I didn't question it. 

We talked a bit longer before he offered to drive me home.

"I didn't know you have a car?" He looked slightly annoyed but looked at me with a smile.

"Mi hermano gave it to me since he got a new one. He gave me his old one for my birthday." He sighed and led me down to the back parking lot. He led me to a small little black car that actually looked pretty nice. He unlocked it and I climbed in. It had leather seats, Bluetooth, and a breathalyzer?

"Uhm Antonio? Please tell me you're not a fucking drunk driver?" He shook his head and started the engine. 

"It was Joãos, it doesn't even work anymore. He has to have one because a few months ago his girlfriend left him and he became an alcoholic. He accidentally ran over someone's fence and got arrested. Of course, I had to pay his bail. Then they made him get this put in his car so he didn't drink and drive anymore. I still have to take it out sometime soon." He sighed and shook his head before pulling out and onto the road. 

He was a surprisingly good driver. Ten times better than Nonno and Feli. He played some more old Spanish music on the radio and had to hide the smile that appeared on my face from remembering how we danced. 

Too soon he pulled up in my driveway. I looked over to thank him and it looked like he was contemplating something. He was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white and he had his bottom lip pulled between his teeth.

"Hey, bastard, are you alright?" He looked over at me with surprise all over his face but soon it turned to sheer embarrassment.

"Hey, Lovi? Can I uh, nevermind. Have a good night Lovi. I'll see you tomorrow at class, si?" I was gonna demand him to tell me what he was gonna ask but I thought of everything he'd just done for me tonight. I let it go, for now. 

"Yeah, ok. Goodnight bastard." I said as I shut the car door. I walked up to the porch step and waved as he backed out and drove down the road we just came from.

As soon as I walked into the house another shitstorm happened.

"Lovino Vargas! Where have you been? I know you were with Antonio but my goodness it's been over 4 hours." He sighed and calmed himself down before continuing. "Lovi, I was going to ground you but your brothers been crying nonstop since you left. Go apologize and cheer him up and I won't ground you. Please, you know I hate punishing you two." He said with a light yawn. For the first time, he actually looked his age, and it scared me. I shouldn't stress him out like that anymore. 

I nodded and went to Felis room to hear soft crying coming from behind his door as well as sad meows. I knocked twice with my knuckle and heard him shuffle around before opening the door.

"Lovino?" I tried to ignore how raspy his voice was from crying.

"Hey Fratello, can I come in." He nodded and opened the door wider for me to enter before sitting back on his bed.

"Look, you know I'm awful with apologizing but I want you to know I'm sorry. Not just because Nonno told me to but because I really am. I shouldn't have yelled at you or got so mad over it. I was just fucking upset that you never told me. I thought we told each other everything?" It wasn't technically a lie but it wasn't the whole truth either. I didn't want him knowing I was jealous of him, he'd stop doing some of the things he loved just so I could feel a little less jealous. So I didn't mention that.

"It's ok Fratello and I would've told you but I was scared you'd get mad at me. I er, Lovino? You don't think Luddy would really just want pictures of me, do you?" I sighed and shook my head.

"I don't know him well enough to tell, however, if you trust him then I'll trust your judgment. But I still don't like the potato head." He smiled faintly. Then he yawned. Then his fucking cat yawned. I swear to god that cat is another version of Feliciano.

"Ve~ ok Fratello, I'm sorry for what I said about Antonio too. I know you're just nervous and that's ok but maybe you should at least try to tell him soon." I nodded and agreed. 

We talked for a while longer before eventually, we both fell asleep in Felis bed. Just like old times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Hermano means Brother in Spanish


	8. Summer Dance

It was the day of the summer dance show and while everyone was really nervous Emma was perfectly fine. She wasn't nervous or anxious or anything. She just followed me around and sipped her wine. I didn't get suspicious of her until she asked me if I knew all her steps.

"Hey, Lovino? Do you remember all my steps? I mean you did basically teach me so you should still remember them right?" She was a little tipsy which wasn't good for the show.

"Of course I remember them. Hell, I probably remember them better than you with the state your in. Stop drinking that, you have to go on in half an hour if not less." She huffed then looked at me with a mischievous look. Then she downed the whole fucking glass of wine.

"Emma! What the fuck?!" I practically yelled at her. Her brother walked by me and gave me a glare for yelling at his sister. I just sighed and shook my head.

She kept following me around until she spotted something and grabbed my arm, trying to point it out with her alcohol-induced mind.

"Lovino look! In the crack of that curtain!" She whisper-yelled into my ear. I shoved her off and went to look through the curtain, against my better judgment. As I got closer I could hear a low humming. I peeked through and saw something that made my entire face heat up.

There Behind the curtain, was Antonio, only wearing skin-tight pants, and bent over to fix his shoe. I had the perfect view of his ass. Then he stood up and I saw just how muscular he really was. I expected him to at least some chub on him with all the bad food he eats.

That was not the case. He had more than a faint outline of a 6 pack on his abdomen like myself. Not too much more but noticeably more. I felt a certain heat in the pit of my stomach and went too quickly turn around only to come face to face with a smiling Emma. It startled me so much I went to take a step back and ended up falling through the curtain.

"Oh! Hola Lovi. Your just in time to help me pick which shirt would look better. Hey your face is really red, are you ok Lovi?" He said as he offered me his hand to help me up. Thank god he's so fucking oblivious. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up as I tried not notice how his muscles moved with the effort he used to help me up.

"Uhh, I like the red and black shirts," I mumbled as I tried to quickly excuse myself. I looked around for Emma to try and use her as an excuse to quickly get out of this situation. She was nowhere in sight until I heard a high pitched women's cry.

I jogged over toward the sound and looked back to see Antonio quickly following me. I looked back over to see Lars, Tino, Feliks and Emma's other brother that I never learned the name of in a little circle. As I got closer I saw Toris as well but he was crouched next to Emma who by the looks of it had fallen over while trying to walk in her heels.

"Emma? What happened? Are you alright?" Asked Tonio.

"I guess I may have had a little too much to drink and tripped over myself," she said with a very innocent look. Too innocent. I was gonna say something but just then Toris spoke up.

"It looks like she sprained her ankle, I don't think she'll be able to dance in the show." He said while trying to hide a smile that I knew only I could see. These little shits.

"Emma if you can't dance were gonna have to call off Antonio as well." Said Lars.

Emma looked at me dead in the eye with a smug evil look. 'Oh no. Don't. Don't you fucking do this to me, Emma.'

"But big brother, Lovino helped me learn my steps so he might be able to take my place in the show." Oh my fucking God. She played the 'big brother' card and everything. Then Everyone turned to look at me.

"Oh no! Hell no!" Nope, fuck that shit. I refuse.

"Please Lovino? The show just won't be the same with the main couple. Plus I thought you said you remembered all my steps better than me?" She said it with such a fucking innocent smile. Only I saw the monster behind that smile. And her fucking accomplice who pretended she sprained her ankle. Just like I did fucking 2 and a half months ago.

I sighed and looked over at Antonio then back to Emma who had the smuggest expression.

"Fine! Whatever!" I shouted and threw my hands up before I was soon whisked away to change my outfit.

The pants I was forced to wear were the same as Tonios'. However, the underwear the made me wear with these were so annoying but I had to do it because they didn't show any wrinkles or creases. I'm so upset that when Emma came to let me know that I gotta on soon, walking perfectly fine mind you, I fucking lost it.

"How the hell could you do this to me?!" She placed her hands on her hips and wobbled a bit.

"Oh shush, you two needed a push and I just decided to get to drunk to walk." This fucking-

"You planned this, didn't you? You've been planning it! And you got Toris in on it? What the fuck?" She sat down on the floor and looked up at me.

"Toris is a med student so I knew Lars would believe him. He'll soon figure out that it was all just a ruse though. But this isn't the first time I've done this. In fact, I'll have you know that I'm the reason Gilbert and Roderich finally got together." She continued her drunken ramble even after I left the room.

I sighed and checked myself in the mirror one last time. Since Tonio was wearing his red shirt first I had to wear my black one first. Then after he tore that one off he was gonna be in his black shirt so I had my white one hidden under my black one. Then we took a quick break so people could change including Antonio. Then we went back up and danced to a foreign song then if the crowd wanted we would do another song of their choice. It was so fucking complex I didn't know how Lars dealt with it every year.

I heard Lars voice on the microphone thanking everyone for coming and went to my spot beside Tonio. He looked different. Although he looked like his happy self it also seemed he matured 10 years over the course of 10 minutes. His eyes seemed darker and more slanted, he had a fake hair extension in the back that was in a loosely tied ponytail, and he wasn't smiling. He wasn't smiling! What the shit!

"You do know the steps, right Lovino?" He called me by my full name! He sounded so serious and slightly upset but when I looked up at him he had a small smile. Then I noticed he had his earnings in. I guess he's getting in character or something?

"Yes bastardo, I remember them." He nodded at my words before going out on stage with everyone else who was supposed to lead.

They all stood there in silent positions until the music started. It started out slow with a sad tune behind it. Then as it gradually picked up tempo, the others went out to their partners or to perform background dancing. I myself was supposed to stay back a while longer. While the others danced Antonio did his part to act alone as he danced. After a certain hitch in the song his eyes snapped over to me and he bowed and held out his hand.

I strutted across to the middle of the stage and gracefully took his hand. The music instantly picked up and he pulled me towards him before spinning me out. I hadn't practiced this part with anyone but myself so I nearly stumbled over my feet but caught myself. I quickly adjusted to his speed and matched his rhythm as we danced apart from each other.

As we met back in the middle he gripped my waist and I wrapped my leg around him before spinning around him in a flaunting manner. He spun around after me and grabbed my wrist to pull me back to him. I froze on cue and looked into his eyes before grasping his hand to dance with him.

As we continued to dance I was almost always on my feet to match his speed but I followed along perfectly. Then the music went really low and Antonio and I circled each other while slowly taking our over shirts off. Now he was in his black shirt and I was in my white shirt, both were nearly see through so I took the chance to actually rake my eyes up and down his body. Regardless if it was part of the dance I'm pretty sure he could see the hungry look in my eyes as we came together again.

The second part started and we danced much slower, almost sadly. During this part one of the other dancers was supposed to come and steal me away from Antonio. I was just a little surprised when Feliciano was the one to do it. I'd be sure to ask if he was in on this too since he's been bugging me about it.

I did a few twirls and spins with Feli before the music picked up again but this time with an angrier tone. This is the part where Tonio comes to take me back but Feli won't let me go so I'm constantly switched between the two of them.

So when Antonio came to steal me away I was ready to match his speed and tempo once more. I danced back and forth with him until he spun me away from him then I had to let go of his hand and trust Feli to catch me and twirl me away. It's so fucking hard to trust Feli with anything let alone this. But I let go and let fate carry me. Right into the arms of my brother. He may not be as good a dancer as me but at least he remembered to catch me.

I twirled around him and watched his eyes follow me somewhat awkwardly. There definitely wasn't a sparking passion like when Tonio and I dance. I stepped just far enough back so Tonio could grab me and pull me back too him. I smirked up at him and I teasingly danced away from him then back around him. He had a hungry look in his eyes that looked almost too real for the dance. That familiar heat appeared in my stomach again and I willed most of it away. But the hungry look in his eyes filled me with a sort of confidence. I spun around him a beat faster than he expected and he soon caught onto my game as he grabbed me and tried to pull me to him.

This switching game continued on until the end of the song. Everyone slowly moved toward the back of the stage and one by one disappeared through the curtains.

As soon as we made it through the curtain Tonio took off running to change his outfit. Meanwhile, all the guests made their way to the office to choose which encore song they wanted us to dance too. Then I noticed someone who looked just like Antonio come in and start whispering things in the guest's ears. He looked up at me and winked before turned around. I then noticed he had a different color ribbon holding his hair behind his back and a mole under his right eye.

Was that maybe, his brother?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the best with dancing scenes but I gave it my best. If you have any suggestions please feel free to tell me.


	9. Summer Dancing and Drinking

I didn't say anything to Antonio about possibly seeing his brother because I didn't wanna stress him out or anything. But when he came back he was dressed as a Spanish matador. His pants were black with gold down the side and his shirt and jacket were a mixture of red and gold. He had little droplets of sweat on his face so I quickly dabbed them off with a napkin. He looked at me, smiled, and nodded before giving Lars the signal to have everyone go back to their seats.

Lars came out and explained that this part was about the man (Tonio) whose lover (me) had strayed to another man (Feli) so he wants to impress his lover (me). I sighed and looked over at Antonio who had a really sad look on his face before he smiled and looked over at me.

The music started again and he quickly took off onto the stage. Feli walked up next to me and nodded before going onto the stage as well. A few seconds later I walked out to see the two having a dance competition over me. They circled each other in a different more aggressive way than when Tonio and I circled each other.

Feli spun over to me and held out his hand which I reluctantly took as if I wasn't sure. We danced around the Spaniard who was performing a dance of his own which I had to keep my eyes on at all times, trusting Feli to lead me safely. Once again I do not trust mio Fratello. Soon, however, Feli lightened his grip and Tonio stole me away once again.

Feli started dancing away in a sad manner as if he had lost. Meanwhile, Antonio picked up speed and twirled me around before letting me go and backing up in victory and presenting a rose from his sleeve. He placed it between his teeth, like an idiota and proceeded to pull me to him. I looked over at Lars and saw him pinching the bridge of his nose. This rose part was not in the fucking script. Dammit, Antonio!

We picked up, even more, speed as the music got faster and we're practically challenging each other. I wanted to laugh at how stupid cute he was with this damn rose between his teeth but I had to remain in character.

As the music slowed down before ending we were basically waltzing. He let me go for a moment and dropped to his knee as he handed me the rose. This wasn't scripted so I improvised. I gracefully took the rose and placed in on my lapel. He smiled and stood up. We were slowly coming to a close of the song and he spun me one last time before he brought me back to him and dipped me.

For a split second, I was scared he was gonna kiss me but then I realized I wanted him to. For a moment he acted like he was going to but then thought better of it and backed off. The music came to a full stop and he pulled me up to my feet. Everyone came out from behind the curtain and we all took a bow.

As we stood there all in a line Lars came back out and walked up to the microphone with an odd look. Kind of like he was trying not to laugh.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time since I've opened this studio we have received a rather odd encore choice. A lot of people came to me and said that a young man who looked like one of our dancers told them to request Macarena. I'm to say the least, very confused. However, I will allow it." I looked over at Antonio and saw his face was bright fucking red. Yep, that had to have been his brother. I wanted to laugh at his face but held back from doing so, although I'm pretty sure I had a strained smile on my face.

We all stayed in a line and Lars put the song on. I could see him in his office trying not to laugh. Meanwhile, Emma was sitting there with the Tonio look alike laughing so hard I could hear her. The music started and we danced along with it. It was so fucking repetitive I wanted to stab my ears out. However, when I turned Tonios way and he was facing away from me I couldn't help but look down at his ass.

I couldn't bring myself to look away and watched as his hips shook along with the music. I'm pretty sure my face was as red and his outfit but when I heard him whisper to me I felt my face heat up tremendously.

"Psst Lovi, can you not look at bosses butt, por favor?" I quickly looked away but couldn't help but sneak a few peaks anytime I got the chance. This ass. Is the perfect ass. It is the definition of 'ass'. And I will forever deny these thoughts.

The song soon ended and we bowed one last time while the crowd clapped. Most of the women and some men were staring straight at Tonio. As soon as I was behind the curtain and far enough away I let out a loud laugh.

I guess Antonio was a quick changer because not even five minutes later he walked over to me. He looked slightly different but I didn't have enough time to speculate because he quickly pinned me to the wall. I frowned but couldn't stop the blush on my cheeks. 'If he tries to kiss me here, I'll punch him.' Luckily that didn't happen because a few seconds later he was sucker punched in the face as he leaned his face closer to mine. I looked over in shock to see and red-faced Antonio?

"Ok, which one of you bastards is my Antonio?" I didn't realise my mistake quick enough. I was enveloped in a hug by the Antonio that punched other Antonio. I was fed up with being pushed and pulled so I punched him. Not nearly as hard as I could've but hard enough to get him to let go.

"Don't touch me idiota! Now, who is this? Is this your brother who is apparently also an idiot?" I looked over at the other man but I couldn't remember his name.

"Si this is mi *hermano, João. Ow Lovi, why'd you punch me so hard?" I ignored his question and rolled my eyes.

"Damn Toni, have you been working out again? I think you dislocated my jaw again." I looked over at João then back to Antonio.

"It would serve you right for being such a *maldita puta all the time! Also why that song? Why would you tell people to request that?" At that point, I was just shocked to hear Antonio swear. But when they started arguing I ditched them and went to go change out of these tight pants. I mean I wear skinny jeans but those are nowhere near as tight as these. As I was walking away though João yelled at me.

"Hey zesty Italian guy! I didn't mean any trouble, honest! I just wanted to see if my brother actually li-" there was a thumping sound from behind me. "Shit Antonio! Stop punching me you ass!" I didn't bother turning around.

I was still shocked that Antonio hit somebody and swore when I heard a knock on the wall behind me. I turned around to see the same stupid bastard I walked away from.

"I'm sorry about him Lovi. I didn't think he would show up, Emma must have called him." He sighed and looked at the floor. I noticed that the spark between was still there a little so I asked him out to celebrate. Nothing more.

"It's fine bastard, honestly if he hadn't of tried to kiss me I might've gotten along with him. But anyways I'm gonna go out drinking to celebrate, wanna come?" In all honesty, the only way I could drink is if he came with me. He'd have to buy the alcohol, of course, I'd pay, he's as poor as America was during the Great Depression.

"But Lovi, I thought you were too young to buy alcohol?" This fucker. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I went to walk past him but he grabbed onto my sleeve lightly. Before I could stop his loose grasp on my sleeve caused his hand to slide down onto mine. I blushed and froze for a second but allowed our fingers to gently entangle.

We continued holding hands and I continued blushing as we walked down the street. It's was almost completely dark out but I knew the way to the liquor store, Nonno buys at least 5 bottles of wine a week.

As we walked up to the store I grabbed 40 euro out of my wallet and told him to go buy whatever he wanted as long as he got some wine and some soda or juice to go with it. I wasn't about to drink alcohol straight up, hell no.

He came back out with two bottles of my favorite wine, some Tequila, some Malibu rum and multiple types of soda.

"Tequila? Really? As if your not fucking Spanish enough." He chuckled and opened the bottle before taking a big drink of straight-up tequila. This man was looking to get wasted. He handed me a bottle of wine and I uncorked it with my knife before doing the same as him. He wants to get drunk? I'll show this bastard.

So there we went, walking down the street, drinking, talking, and eventually laughing.

"You know Tonio, I had a great time dancing with you today," I said with a chuckle

"Ah si Lovi, me too. It's been years since I've danced with someone who can keep up. I'm proud of you Lovi." He said with a warm smile and a small laugh. He said he was proud of me. Of me. Not Feli. Me. I couldn't stop the grin on my face and I didn't have enough sober mind to stop from hugging him and pressing myself against him.

"Lovi?" He looked at me and I lost whatever soberness I had left, I was drunk on this man and I knew it. I pushed him against the side of a building was about to crash my lips to his when my phone started to vibrate. I groaned and took it out of my pocket.

From: Nonno  
To: Lovino

"Lovino, where are you? It's almost curfew, and I have work in the morning."

"I am with Ant onio, be home soon.."

"Ant onio? You mean Antonio? Please don't tell me your drinking again Lovino."

I typed out the first thing that came to my mind.

"Nah, autocorrect."

I looked up at Tonio and saw how flushed he looked. I really wanted to kiss him but I didn't realize make him uncomfortable or anything. So I sadly backed off and started sauntering down the road toward my house. Luckily he followed.

As we were nearing my house I sent a quick text to Feli since it took us over 30 minutes just to get to the neighborhood in our state.

"Feliiii"

"Come help big broooo up steps"

"Feliciiiiiaaaannooooo!!!!"

I gave up and looked up at Tonio who in turn was watching me. I was gonna tell him we might have to climb in through my balcony but he interrupted me.

"Lovino, I can only hope you remember this tomorrow." He said before he grabbed my chin gently and pressed his lips to mine. I lost all train of thought. I wrapped my arms around him and buried one of my hands in his chocolate brown hair. I lightly tugged at his hair and groaned into the kiss. He ran his tongue over my bottom lip and I allowed him in. Our tongues danced together, and I felt him pull me closer.

I ran my hand down his back with my nails and he growled lightly as he pushed me against the wall of the house. He pulled my lip between his teeth and sucked on it gently. God how I've needed this. His lips were so soft and his groans were almost possessive. His hand went under my shirt and his fingers drew patterns over my abdomen, never going to high. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to or not but part of me was happy that he wasn't looking to just get in my pants.

Just then we heard a light cough from beside us and we both jerked our heads up to see Feli standing there with a sleepy smile on his face. We slowly untangled ourselves and Feli agreed that Tonio could stay the night since he was drunk but he had to sleep in my bed and I had to sleep with Feli. I groaned but Tonio agreed. He's just happy to have somewhere to stay while he's drunk.

We went inside and Feli grabbed us some water and headache pills for in the morning. Tonio thanked him and set them on the nightstand beside my bed. I gave him the largest clothes I own to use as sleepwear and we left him to change.

In Felis room, Feli fell straight back to sleep but I just laid there. I grabbed my phone and sent one last text before allowing sleep to overtake me.

From: Lovino  
To: Bastard<3

"Goodnight Tonio <3 "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *'hermano' means 'Brother' in Spanish  
> *'maldita puta' means 'Damn Bitch' in Spanish


	10. Recuerda

The next morning I woke up and quickly grabbed the trash can beside Felis bed. I then proceeded to lose my stomach in it. I heard similar sounds coming from the bathroom and stood up, taking the trash can with me just in case.

I had no clue who else would've drunk enough to have to throw up as well so when I saw Antonio on his knees it surprised me a little. He paused in his retching and looked up at me.

"Oh, Buenos Dias Lovi." and he's retching again. This seemed very familiar to me. It reminds of my birthday when he stayed the night because he was tipsy.

"If this is gonna become a normal thing, we gotta get you your own toothbrush for here. Your breath is gonna be fucking awful." I was gonna say more but I felt more of yesterday's alcohol come up and ducked my head into the trash can in my arms. This could be fucking date right here. Two grown men, throwing up in a bathroom together. Fantastic.

After our stomachs were empty we were left with headaches and confusion with a slight stomachache. The typical hangover. I downed my glass of water and went back to my room when Tonio was sipping his water and staring out my balcony window. At the tomato plant. That he got me. Fuck here it comes.

"Lovi I'm so happy that you kept it!" He hugged me and I quickly shoved him off, too hungover to deal with his happy shit.

"Shut the fuck up, it's too early. What the hell even happened last night?" He laughed but looked down at his feet so I couldn't see his face.

"Oh Dio, we didn't do anything fucking illegal did we?" He chuckled and reached his hand out to me but then brought it back to himself.

"Hey, bastard, what's wrong with you? Your acting all sad and shit." He looked up at me.

"Ah it's nothing Lovi, my head just hurts." I didn't believe him but I let him get by with it, for now. Then my stomach growled from having all my food come back up.

"I'm hungry, want some breakfast while your here?" He nodded and we made our way downstairs where mio Fratello was cooking something, I looked over his shoulder to see him making omelets. I sliced up some tomato to go with them and helped Feli finish cooking.

After we plated them he went back upstairs while Antonio and I went to sit on the back porch. I took a bite and groaned from how good it was. Feli and I are pretty much equal when it comes to cooking but he likes to experiment with his dishes, unlike myself. I looked over to see Antonio already halfway done.

"Calm down, it's not going anywhere. Your gonna fucking choke yourself. If you want another one I can make you one, just slow the fuck down." He shook his head and finished his plate. He rested his head on my shoulder and I felt a heat rise on my face while I felt like something in my mind was missing. Something involving Antonio.

I finished my food and took our plate back inside, I set them on the sink to be washed later and went back out to sit with Tonio. We sat there in silence just watching the world that was my backyard. I didn't have school today, he doesn't have work until later, Nonno wasn't here to tease me, and Feli was too busy with his potato boyfriend.

We spent the rest of our morning talking about simple things and learning more about each other. I still felt like something important was missing but I ignored it. Until we walked into the studio. Then everyone was asking about Antonio and I. Emma especially.

"So Lovino, did you and Antonio get together yet?" Still same old straightforward Emma.

"Nope, your little plan failed. We did, however, get trashed but I can't fucking remember any of it." I told her as I changed my clothes. She hummed and went to find Antonio, thus leaving me by myself. Figures.

I finished my stretches and went to find where Tonio disappeared too. Emma said she couldn't find him so I got concerned for the idiot. I couldn't find him in the office or on the stadium. I checked the bathroom and still couldn't find him. There's only a storage closet left but why the fuck would he be in there.

"Bastard? Are you in here?" I yelled in as I opened the door. I was surprised to hear a faint shuffling. A few seconds later a familiar face popped up from behind a covered balance beam. He walked over to me but his face was blotchy and his eyes looked a little red.

"Are you smoking pot in here or something? What the shit's wrong with you?" He looked down and chuckled but there was no happiness behind it.

"Ah no, I was putting some stuff up and the uh dust made me choke a bit." He wouldn't look at me but it didn't really matter. He's a terrible liar.

"Uh huh, yea I'm sure. Now really, what's wrong?" I tried to soften my tone a bit and he looked like he was gonna open up to me. But a voice stopped him.

"Did you find Antonio? Oh, good. The class is in 5 minutes." Lars said, completely ruining the fucking moment.

"You're telling me what's wrong later, got it?" He nodded and walked out of the closet with me.

After class was over I quickly changed into my work clothes and went through the door to begin the 10-minute walk to work. I heard footsteps behind me and looked back to see Antonio and Feli rushing to catch up with me.

"Why are you coming?" Feli started to open his mouth "Not you. Him." I said as I pointed at the Spaniard.

"Oh uh, I thought I could walk with you two. Is that ok Lovino?" He called me by my full name, something must really be on his mind and for some reason, I feel as though it's my fault.

"Yea sure, just keep up idiota." I sighed but continued on. Feli looked at me with a sad look and I felt like they knew something I didn't.

"Psst Feli, did something happen last night? You two are acting weird. I swear to fucking god if you're keeping something from me I will-" I leaned over and whispered to him.

"Shush, Fratello. Tonio will tell you later." He said with rare seriousness before returning to his normal annoying self. "Oh look, we're here already. Tonio are you going home or would you like to come in for a bit?"

"Why the fuck would he wanna come in Feli? It's Olive Garden not some fucking coffee shop." Then for the first time since we left the studio, Antonio spoke up.

"Ahh actually I'm gonna sit out here for awhile, I might come in later though." I stared at him before my shaking my head and going inside. Feli stayed outside to talk to him before coming in a few minutes later. I normally would've been jealous but Felis to hung up on his fucktato boyfriend. Fuckin German bastard.

I had done two tables already and was currently waiting another three when I was told to pick up another table that had just walked in. I grabbed the menus from my 3rd table and went over to the entrance without looking up.

"Welcome to Olive Garden, my names Lovino and I'll be your waiter tonight." I finally looked up when the person cleared their throat. Fucking bastard Antonio. I glared at him and grabbed his menu.

"Right this way." I wanted to add an insult at the end of the sentence but Lukas was standing nearby and I didn't wanna get in trouble. I led him to a table further back and placed his menu and silverware down.

"Lovi, You know I'm too poor for this, si?" I shushed him and made him sit down.

"It's on me for your persistence. Now, what would you like to drink?" He sighed and asked for some white wine. I swear this man was gonna turn himself into an alcoholic if he keeps drinking like this.

"I'll give you wine as long as you drink a glass of water in between, I can't have a drunk Spaniard in my bed again." Fuck. His face went bright red which in turn caused my face to heat up. I turned and stomped away to my other table who were ready for the bill.

When I came back with Tonios wine and glass of water he was sitting there with his head in his hands. I sighed and took my notepad out before scribbling out a quick note.

'Cheer the fuck up. My shift ends in 2 hours.'

I placed his drinks on the table as well as the folded up note and gently ran my fingers through his hair to get his attention. He looked up alarmed but smiled when he saw me.

"Have you decided what you want to order?" He shook his head at me and smiled.

"Whatever you recommend, as long as I get a side of Lovino." He had a smug smile on his face since he knew I could yell or hit him. This little shit.

"Why you little, ugh. Fine. I'll get you back later. Your food should be done in 10 to 15 minutes." I said and nearly ran away from him. I quickly wrote an order for Farfalle with jumbo shrimp and extra tomato sauce and turned it in.

I got one table out and was now working on 2 tables plus Antonio's but he doesn't count. I received my tip from the couple I waited and went up to see if Tonios order was ready. They handed it to me and I grabbed another glass of water, just in case.

As I figured his wine glass was empty and his water glass was almost done for as well. I set his food down in front of him and he lifted his head from the table to look at me. His eyes were shinier than usual and I felt a dread fill me. Was the happiest man I've ever met crying. I wanted to comfort him but I had no idea how so I got angry that I couldn't comfort him. I went to grab another glass of wine and brought it over to him.   
I placed it in front of him and frowned.

"Hey, I'll be off soon so hurry the fuck up and eat. And...cheer up a bit yeah?" He nodded and took a bite of his food. His eyes lit up like he was having a holiday feast. I chuckled as I walked over to another family who was ready for their bill.

When my shift ended I walked over to Antonio and sat down in the chair across from him. I grabbed a shrimp and popped it into my mouth. He looked up at me in shock, like I just stole a precious ruby or something.

"Lovi! It's not nice to steal people's food." Jeez, he sounded like a parent almost.

"Shut up, I'm paying for it, stupid." He frowned but didn't say anything. He finished his food, with my help, and quickly downed his third wine. Not enough to get drunk but very close to buzzed.

"Hey Lovi, will you accompany me back to the studio, I forgot something important?" I frowned, that's the whole reason he waited for me to get off work. Son of a-

"Fine."

I rambled on about how one family didn't tip me the right amount and other mindless stuff on the way back to the studio. I was about to tell him about the emo teen that flipped me off when he stopped me.

"Lo siento to interrupt but I need you to wait here for a moment." He said before running inside. All of the instructors have a key to the place so he got in pretty quickly. I watched as the lights were turned on and waited anxiously.

He walked halfway out the door and grabbed my hand, pulling me inside.

"Let go of me! Wait a minute, you brought me here on purpose!" He sighed and pulled me to the middle of the room. I felt even more confused when he left me there saying he'll be right back.

I heard some music start to play through the speakers and flushed when he walked back over to me and gripped my hands in his.

"Dance with me Lovino?" He had wet trails down his face and I just couldn't get mad. It wouldn't be right to get mad at him now. I squeezed his hands as a sign of agreement and he slowly pulled me closer. He placed his hand on my waist and placed his other one on my cheek and gently rubbed his thumb across it as we started to sway.

The music was slow and sad and it caused my head to pound. It felt like my brain was itching but I was too occupied with Antonio to notice it too much. Until a sudden intense pain shot through my head. It felt like a dam had been broken as memories of last night finally started to come to me.

The drinking.

The talking.

The laughing.

The kissing.

We kissed! Holy fuck we kissed! Shit, that's why he's been upset all day. I looked up into his crying eyes and felt my own start to water. He remembered and I didn't. I stood up on my toes and softly pressed my lips to his. It was nothing like our kiss from before. This was full of pain and sorrow. And salt. I faintly realized I was crying as well and slowly pulled away and rest my head against his chest.

"Lovi? Do you remember?" His heartbeat sped up slightly and I knew I couldn't run from this anymore.

"Yeah."

Nothing else was said for a while, we just simply danced across the floor in silence. The only sound was the music and the faint tap of our shoes on the wooden floor as we moved.

As we finally came to a stop we didn't let go of each other. I stood there and wrapped my arms around him gently and I felt him do the same. I wasn't sure if I was ready for this yet. This is just a simple crush, right?

"I'm not ready, Tonio," I said as I dug my nails into his shirt and held onto it like I was holding on for life.

"I know, Lovi." He said as he tightened his hold on me.

Nothing was said as he walked me to my house. Nothing was said as I stepped up onto the tiny porch. I was about to open the door to go inside when Antonio stopped me.

"Lovi wait, can we maybe, just one last, I-I want to" he took a deep breath as he walked up to me. "Can I kiss you, Lovi? Just once more." My breath hitched in my throat.

"You don't have to ask idiota," I said as I wrapped my arms around him. I pulled him down to meet my lips and he yelped in surprise before smiling into the kiss. He cradled my head in one hand and pulled me deeper into the kiss. The other hand was wrapped around me and pressed into the small of my back. He moaned quietly against my lips as we both struggled not to cry again.

When he pulled away he rested his forehead against mine and I stared into his forest green eyes. I sighed and pecked his lips one last time before pulling away from him completely. He looked down and rubbed his neck but then looked up and smiled at me. I returned his smile and hugged him before quickly slipping inside of the house.

As I laid down that night I couldn't help but wonder if I made the right choice in waiting. Maybe that's my problem. Maybe I should just go for it. Maybe it might turn into something good. Just then I heard my phone vibrate and reached over to grab it. I opened the text and smiled before typing out a reply.

From: Bastard <3  
To: Lovino

"Buenas noches, Lovi."

"Buona notte, Tonio."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *'Buenas noches' means 'Goodnight' in Spanish  
> *'Buona notte' means 'Goodnight' in Italian
> 
> The title of this chapter 'Recuerda' means 'Remember' in Spanish


	11. New Job

I grabbed my jacket and rushed out the door with Feli right behind me. It was the first day of my last year of school and we were already late. Nonno thought it would be great to not wake us up. Ugh.

We made it to class as soon as the bell rang, we had homeroom together this year so of course, Feli decided to sit next to me. Gilbert sat behind me, some girl with long black hair sat in front of me and Emil sat on my right side. Of fucking course, I'm in the middle. I'm friends with three of these fuckers, one by default, but I had no fucking clue who the girl was.

I sent a quick text to Emil

From: Lovino  
To: SpicyIcey

"Who the fuck is sitting in front me??"

"Leon's sister, Mei. Can you not text me during class, thanks."

"You little fucker"

I heard him snicker beside me which he quickly covered with a cough so he didn't get in trouble. Over time I had gotten to know Emil pretty well, he's my age, he's from Iceland and he's been dating Leon since 9th grade. Their 4 year anniversary is in a few weeks. He's also a sarcastic little shit.

I groaned as the teacher went over the same 'first-day' stuff, I've heard every year for 13 years now. As she continued her speech I allowed my mind to wander off again. And where does my mind go when I wander off. To fucking Antonio, that's where.

It's been about 4 weeks since that night. That cunting night. I put all my feelings out in the open trusting him not to squash them. And he didn't, he embraced them and returned them. Then I go and say I need time, ruining it all. He probably doesn't even like me anymore.

Ok, that's unlikely, he's been leaving me little presents since that night. He'd give me a tomato after class, then it went to chocolate, then it went to roses. I had to tell him to stop or he'll be in the poor house. He looked like a kicked puppy but I couldn't take all the presents, I've gained almost 10 pounds from all the chocolate he's brought me.

 

The rest of my classes went by really fast since all we had to do was listen and maybe write a few things down. Before I knew it Feli and I was on our way to the dance studio. As we get closer, however, we see Antonio leaning against the wall with his phone pressed to his ear. When I go to walk past him he motions for me to wait, I silently raise my eyebrow at him, as if he's gonna tell me what to do. This one time and only because it looks important.

"Si but Francis, what about his brother? I doubt they'll work apart from each other." I stared at him and searched my mind for any clue as to who Francis was.

"I guess I can ask, but no hitting on him amigo." Oh, yea Francis was the guy who helped us get a job. I heard some more mumbling before he pulled his phone away from his face and looked at me very seriously.

"Lovi, Francis has told me to ask you if you would like to work at his five-star restaurant? He says it's over triple of your usual pay but he only wants you, not Feli." He looked at me very stern and I actually felt a wave of fear cross me before I remembered who he is. We've been working Olive Garden for a while now and I know Feli would be fine with working by himself now. But what would Nonno say?

"Does he need an answer now?" I asked to which he nodded vigorously. I had the word 'no' right on the tip of my tongue but something was stopping me from saying it. I remembered the night Tonio first stayed at my house. He told me to save up my money for important things. I always wanted to go to college and triple my usual pay would greatly increase my chances of going. Sure it wasn't as expensive over here as it is in places like America but still, the more money the better.

"Yes, I just have to put in my two weeks and I'll be ready." Now I started getting excited about the thought of working at a five-star restaurant. But wait, how did I go from working at a simple Olive Garden to being asked to work in such a classy restaurant.

During my ranting thoughts, Antonio had gotten off the phone and smiled at me.

"I'm really glad you took the job Lovi." I looked him up and down. Something was off.

"What the shit did you do in order to get me that job offer, Antonio?" His face flushed red he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, Francis said he was looking for new waiters so I recommended you and I may or may not have told him your a perfectly respectable gentleman who's also very efficient and graceful. So I mean it's nothing too bad." I groaned and walked inside with him following me.

"So basically I have to pretend to be a perfectly respectable gentleman while serving fancy food to rich people. Oh, and I have to be fucking graceful about it. Please tell me Tonio, what about me is fucking graceful or gentlemanly?" He looked at me for a moment then smiled.

"Your a great actor Lovi so I'm sure you can pull this off." This fucker can see right through me. But his smile was so fucking big that I couldn't be too angry.

"Fuck you Tonio, go do your stretches so we can get the class started." He laughed and chose the spot right next to me to do his stretches. How fucking typical. He just knows I stare at his ass when he's not looking, I swear to god.

 

As I walked into work that night I felt all my confidence leave me, this always happens when I have to tell Lukas something. But now it's worse because I'm gonna be telling him I'm leaving. I walked over to his office and knocked, I heard a faint voice say come in so I let myself in.

"Lovino? Oh god, who broke what this time?" He asked and put his head in his hands. "*Jeg sverger til Gud, if it was that stupid Dane."

I gulped before speaking "Actually sir, I'm quitting. I'll put in my two weeks but I'm leaving." He jerked his head up and looked at me. Normally I would look away from his eyes when I told him bad stuff but this time I kept direct eye contact. I was surprised when I heard him chuckle.

"Ahh, moving up in the world? I got a call from Francis this evening, I just didn't think you'd accept. Let alone come and quit. However, I have one favor to ask you." I let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

"Emil says you two have Spanish class together and although he doesn't like to admit it, he's terrible at Spanish. I was going to hire a Spanish teacher but I figured it would be easier to ask someone he knows. I'll pay you of course. Will you tutor him in Spanish?" I thought of how packed my schedule already was but I figured I could do it on Saturday or Wednesday.

"Sure, I guess but it will have to be either on Saturdays or Wednesdays." He nodded and started writing in his notebook.

"Alright, I'll have Emil text you tomorrow and you two can work out the details." He said and looked up with a rare smile.

 

As I finished my shift in walks none other than Spanish bastard. I clock out and walk over to him, I then noticed he had a green bag in his arms.

"What's with the bag? Actually, what's with you coming here in general?" I asked as I let us out and away from the restaurant.

"Ah well, the bag has fertilizer and my homemade compost in it. I just did my plants so I figured I'd come and see how yours is doing." I blinked at him.

"You just wanted to see me, didn't you?" His face turned bright red and I chuckled.

"Come on, bastard, you might as well," I said and we continued our way down the street.

 

At home, Nonno was still up although it was *23:52. Basically midnight. I was gonna just walk upstairs with Antonio when Feli ran inside yelling.

"Nonno! I'm hungry!" Nonno just fucking smiled and said one word which got an instant yes from all three of us.

"Pasta?"

"Yes!"

"Si!"

"Fuck yes!"

"Lovino! Language!"

"Ugh!"

Nonno went into the kitchen, Feli went to call the potato, and Antonio followed me up to my room. I pulled my tomato plant in for the night and Tonio sat down next to it. He looked at the fruit it was currently bearing and smiled.

"It's in better shape than I thought it would be Lovi, I'm proud of you." There it is with that proud shit. I turned away from him and hid my face so he wouldn't see the blush or tears. Fuck this asshole knows how to get me sappy.

"Shut up and fertilize it already!" I didn't mean to raise my voice but he didn't seem to care. He just calmly nurtured the plant and mixed the soil up a bit. He then reached into the bag and pulled out a long plastic rod and stuck it right in the middle of the pot but not where it would damage the plant. He took some red string and tied the stem to the rod enough to where it wouldn't droop or fall over.

He sighed and wiped his forehead as if he'd been working hard. I nearly laughed when he smeared dirt on his head and I decided not to tell him. I plopped down next to him and watched him go over the plant, checking for any bug bites or whatever. When he deemed it ok he scooted the potted plant back over where I had it beside the balcony doors before standing up and stretching.

"Hey Lovi, what's this? Is so cute." He walked over to my desk and picked up the little glass turtle that I bought so long ago. I bought it because it reminded me of him, but I had just started crushing on him. Oh, fuck he's staring at me. What the shit do I say?

"Do need fucking glasses or something? It's a glass turtle you dumb fuck." He looked at me taken aback before a sneaky smile appeared on his face.

"Si I can see that. I can also see that you're avoiding the question and trying to cover something up. So tell me Lovi, what does this turtle mean to you?" Did he sound smug? This motherfucker. I stomped over and head-butted him, again, and grabbed the turtle from him.

"It's just a glass turtle I bought from the pet store a while back so fuck off!" He held his and rubbed at the red mark that had formed.

"Why must you hurt me so Lovi?" He said dramatically.

"Oh shut the fuck up, you're fine." I rolled my eyes and grabbed his bag for him before walking downstairs to see if the food was done.

I walked into the kitchen and the delicious smell of ravioli hit me instantly. I nearly moaned just from the smell alone. God, I fucking love pasta. I looked behind me to see Tonio almost drooling. I chuckled and grabbed a wet rag to wipe his face off with since he still had dirt on his head and somehow on his cheek. I slowly rubbed the cloth across his face and froze when my eyes met his.

He blinked and looked away blushing, I sighed and finished wiping the dirt off his face. I regret not asking him out that night but it's too late now, especially with Nonno waggling his eyebrows at me from across the kitchen. I scowled at the old man as I stomped over to grab the plates and silverware so I could help with serving.

We sat at the table and Nonno and Tonio kept talking about their jobs which reminded me of the job offer I received.

"Nonno?" He looked over at me "I'm getting a new job. At Tonios friends restaurant. Just me." He looked over at Feli who shrugged.

"Ve~ that's great Lovi, I'll be fine working at Olive Garden by myself so I'm glad you're getting a better job." Feli smiled and took a bite of his ravioli. One down.

"Where is this restaurant Lovino?" I had no idea so I looked over at Antonio who was all fucking smiles and rainbows.

"Oh, it's on the other side of town, about a 30-minute drive from here." He said with a smile. Mio Dio, it's that far. Now I started to panic a little bit.

"And how will you be getting there without a car?" Antonio must've seen how nervous I got because he answered Nonno.

"I can drive him." He turned and smiled at me which caused my heart to melt slightly.

"Oh ok then, have fun Lovi." All the seriousness Nonno previously had was quickly replaced with his usual carefree attitude as he got up and placed his plate in the sink.

"Oh and Tonio your welcome to stay the night again if you want. Lovino, no open doors. Buona notte!" He said as he left the room. He implied that Tonio and I would- I stopped that thought there and looked over at Antonio who was staring at his lap with his face and ears bright red.

I forcefully stood up and took my plate to the sink, refusing to make eye contact with the Spaniard who had walked up beside me.

"I can just go home Lovi." I snorted "It's nearly 2:00 and you wanna walk home. I don't think so idiota. I can sleep on my giant beanbag and you can have the bed. No arguing." He gulped and nodded.

"Gracias, Lovi."

That night I laid on my makeshift bed and stared out the glass doors at the moon. I started to drift off when I heard the most annoying thing in the world.

"Psst, Lovi? Are you awake?" I groaned

"I am now, dickfart." He snorted and laughed.

"Hey, I was serious about driving you to work. If you need me too?" He said it like a question.

"It would be nice" I mumbled sleepily "I'll pay you. Don't argue, too tired." I yawned and shifted slightly. I heard a faint chuckle but it sounded so far away.

"Buenas noches, mi amor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *'Jeg sverger til Gud' means 'I swear to God' in Norwegian  
> *23:52 is 11:52pm
> 
> New character: Taiwan/Mei


	12. Frog

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, trying to get my hair perfect before meeting my new boss. I applied some light concealer to my face as well so if I got nervous it would be harder to see my face turn red. I blended it in and made sure it looked fine before slipping on a solid black dress shirt and buttoned it. I slipped out of the bathroom and went downstairs to slip my freshly polished dress shoes on.

As I was walking out the door Nonno stopped me. He walked up to me and fixed a red tie under my collar.

"I know you don't like them but just wear one for today." I groaned but nodded, he hugged me and I walked down to the end of the driveway to wait for Antonio. He said he'd be right over after dance class, I had to meet Francis in an hour. It's a 30-minute drive there and Tonios fucking awful with directions plus it's always good to be a little early. In the middle of my mini panic, I failed to notice the familiar black car that pulled up next to me.

"Lovi? Are you gonna get in or are we going for fashionably late?" I snapped my head and glared at him as I walked around the car and got in the passenger side. I sat down and fastened my belt before speaking.

"So who is this French bastard? What's he like?" He chuckled

"Francis is...well he's something. He's a bit of a pervert but don't worry Lovi, I'll protect you!" Great a perverted Frenchman and a stupid Spaniard trying to protect me from said Frenchman.

"I don't need protected you idiota. I can handle myself." I huffed and looked out the window since he seemed content to drive in silence. He started humming some stupid happy song and I looked over at him for just a moment. He glanced at me and I tore my gaze away. I felt nervous just sitting in the silence but I had no clue how to break it so I continued to watch the world outside through the window.

I had to do this nearly every evening after class. Would it get less awkward? Would it get more awkward? Fuck I didn't know and it bothered me. My gaze turned into a glare and anyone that drove by us could see me glaring out the window. I even intentionally glared at a kid who made funny faces at me. But then the kid stuck his tongue out while keeping his mouth open and crossed his eyes and I couldn't stop the snorting laughter that left me.

"Lovi, are you alright? What's so funny?" I was still laughing and the kid had a smug look on his face so I made a weird face at him as well. He started giggling and made one back to me. I stuck my nose against the window and rolled it down a bit before rolling it back up to make my nose look like a pig snout. I then crossed my eyes to look down and stuck my tongue out a bit. The kid laughed and waved at me as his parents took the opposite exit. I waved back and smiled at him.

"The kid was making faces at me. It was fucking adorable." He laughed and smiled at me and I completely forgot about how awkward it felt before.

"Do you like children?" I smiled lightly and thought about it.

"I love kids when they're not little shits who make messes and never listen to their parents." I thought about it some more "I like kids when they're not how I was as a child. I was a fucking lazy brat as a kid." I laughed at a memory of when I was about 7 and Feli was 5. It was our birthday and I had grabbed a handful of cake in each hand and smeared on both Feli and Nonnos head. I made sure it got in their hair and everything. Then I fucking laughed about it and refused to help clean up.

"Would you want kids in the future Lovi?" I looked at him. He had a very serious look on his face. Would I want kids? Maybe? If I was with a man that was calmer than me then maybe. Yes.

"Yeah." He smiled.

He soon pulled up to a large white fancy building and I suddenly felt very nervous.

"Tonio." He parked and looked at me.

"Si?" I smiled at me

"I can't do this. This is too fucking fancy for me." He frowned and turned his head to the side.

"I don't think so, you'll be fine Lovi." I couldn't breathe all of a sudden and opened my door to get some fresh air. He got out and walked around to my side. He squatted down in front of me and grabbed my hands. I looked up to see his smile and my breathing started to slow down a bit.

"Lovino, it's gonna be ok. It may look like its a big fancy place and it kinda is but the people who work here are just like you. I personally know the oldest workers and the owner is one of my best friends. Plus if anything does happen I'll be here and we can leave anytime you want to." I nodded and got out of the car. I looked in the left mirror to make sure I still looked decent and followed Antonio inside.

At the front, there was a short man with blonde shaggy hair and the largest eyebrows I've ever seen. He turned to us and scowled.

"Antonio. I'm assuming you wish to see the frog then?" Antonio stiffly nodded and I noticed his jaw was clenched tight.

"Right then. I assume you remember where his office is." He let us through and I continued to follow Tonio through a fancy hallway. There were private dining rooms and the floors were a violet purple carpet. There was no rustling waiters or drinks sloshing around. Everything was a peaceful quiet. It scared me.

We stopped to knock on a dark brown wooden door at the end of the hallway. There was a muffled French accent but Antonio seemed to get it and opened the door. I walked in and it was nothing like the rest of the restaurant I've seen. There was art covering every wall, and dark purple velvet curtains that were currently closed to keep light out, in the back of the room there was a large desk and behind that desk sat a man with shoulder length wavy blonde hair. But the odd thing about this is that the man was wrapped up in a large red blanket and was sipping fucking hot chocolate.

"Antoine, *mon ami! It has been too long no? I would hug you but I am afraid that I have caught a cold from Arthur. Again." I wanted to chuckle but remembered that this man could be my boss.

They continued to talk for a while before Francis called me over. "Ah, and you must be Lovino, non? Antoine has told me quite a bit about you." He smiled at me and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I did not like this fucker.

"Yes sir, my full name is Lovino Vargas and I would love to work for you." I said it in the nicest voice I could possibly manage and internally cringed.

"Don't worry about pretending to like me or suck up to me, I just want to know how well you work." He laughed and I tried not to show how uncomfortable I was. I decided to just nod rather than risk saying something wrong or calling him a French bastard. He chuckled and pressed a button on a little black pager.

"You were right Antoine, he is a cutie." Antonio came over and stood beside me. He smiled but his eyes glared at Francis.

"Si isn't he just adorable." I felt my face heat up and was glad I put concealer on.

"Don't worry mon ami, I have my eye on someone else." Tonio relaxed. Then the door opened and the guy with the eyebrows walked in.

"What the bloody hell do you want now? A foot rub?" He said it with such sass that I had to fight to keep a smile off my face.

"Why must you be so mean to me? Even after all the *amour I've given you?" The Brit scoffed.

"Please as if you could call that love. Now, what did you want, frog?" The Frenchman growled but answered him anyway.

"This is Lovino, show him around and see how well he does." The eyebrowed one sighed and waved me along after him.

As we walked down the hallway he properly introduced himself to me. "Terribly sorry you had to see all that. I'm Arthur Kirkland, second in charge of running this place." He held out his hand and I shook it.

"Lovino Vargas, I'm in charge of making sure Antonio doesn't do anything stupid." He smiled.

"We'll get along nicely, I'm sure."

 

"I can't believe they fucking hired me!" Antonio smiled as he slipped into the driver's side of the car.

"Si, I knew Francis would at least give you a chance. Is it any different from your last two waiting jobs?" He asked as he started the car and pulled out.

"Not really, I just have to act more resigned and there's less yelling. I just can't believe he's giving me a chance." I yawned and looked over at Antonio. He just sat with Francis for the three hours that we were there. But he looked damn exhausted.

"Hey idiota, get some rest tonight eh? You don't have to work in the morning at least." I tried to sound nice but it sounded kinda sarcastic. Oh well, he smiled nonetheless.

"You're so sweet Lovi." I huffed and flipped him off.

"Whatever bastard." He laughed and smiled at me. I felt my breath hitch in my throat at that smile. That stupid, cute, warm, idiotic smile.

We talked a little more before he dropped me off at my house, he looked like he was trying to decide something.

"Hey, whatever you wanna say, say it, stupid." He looked at me and his face turned red.

"It's nothing Lovi. I'll see you tomorrow evening Si?" I let out a sigh and nodded. I watched as he drove off into the night, feeling like I should've done something more.

I walked inside and went straight up to my room since Nonno and Feli were asleep. I stripped and laid down when my phone rang. I answered without checking the caller ID.

"Ciao"

"Hola Lovi." I snorted

"You bastard. It's been less than 10 minutes since you saw me." Of fucking course, Antonio would call me.

"Si, I know but I missed you." I rolled my eyes but could feel my heart swell with emotion just from him calling because he missed me.

"Yeah well, I'm tired and would like to go to sleep." I stifled a yawn and covered up, ready for sleep.

"Ooh Lovi, I could tell you a story or sing you a lullaby!" He sounded too excited.

"Stupido, I'm not a little kid or something."

"Awe but I wanna help you sleep. Oh, I know how about I play my guitar for you until you fall asleep."

"Sure." I was too tired to argue. I heard some shuffling and I'm guessing he put his phone on speaker so he could use both hands. I then heard some light strumming before he started to pluck the strings. It was a sad sounding song but was very beautiful. I could feel my sleepiness draw closer as he continued playing.

"Goodnight Lovi." He said as he kept playing.

"Night, Toni," I mumbled and drifted off to the peaceful music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *'mon ami' means 'my friend' in French  
> *'amour' means 'love' in french
> 
> You can probably tell but this chapter is mostly a filler because writers block has hit me hard.


	13. ¿Vas a tener una cita conmigo?

tomato in my dream suddenly took on Felis voice and grew his curl and was yelling at me to wake up.

"Lovi! Wake up!" It wouldn't stop yelling at me.

"Bastard tomato Feli," I said to it and turned around to stomp off.

"But I'm not a tomato Lovi." I turned and looked at it and it had turned into my brother.

"Lovino! Wake up!" It was like he was yelling at me but his voice got louder.

"I'll pour cold water on you again." I shot up instantly. I looked over beside me to see Feliciano standing there smiling.

"What the shit, Feli?" I yawned and got out of bed to stretch.

"Emil texted me because he couldn't get ahold of you, he said to remind you that you have to go over to his place soon." I blinked at him and groaned. I quickly put my phone on charge before running to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Since I was just going to Emil's house before class I decided to just put on some sweats. I was already walking down the stairs before I even had my shirt all the way on and I almost tripped but grabbed ahold of the banister just in time. I heard a chuckle behind me.

"Shut the fuck up Feli! I heard that damn chuckle." He snorted and giggled like a little bitch. I chose to ignore him and quickly slipped my shoes on.

"I might not be back before class so if Nonno asks, tell him I'm with Emil or Antonio." He smiled and nodded as I walked out the door. I jogged down the street and followed the directions that Emil texted me a few days ago. He said he had all his books so I didn't bother bringing mine.

"I came upon a small house and knocked on the sterile white door. It opened and I was greeted with a sleep deprived looking Emil. His eye twitched slightly so I thought it best not to ask.

"Where are we working at?" I asked after clearing my throat. He turned around and waved at me to follow. I stepped in, shut the door, and slipped my shoes off. I followed him to what I'm assuming to be the living room and noticed Leon laying on the couch reading something on his phone. Emil sat in front of the coffee table on the floor and I decided not to question it so I sat across from him. He pulled his books up onto the table and groaned.

"Ok, so what's the main part your having trouble with?" I asked as nicely as I could, which wasn't that nice.

"Conjatives is probably the hardest for me." He mumbled.

"Well shit. That was the hardest part for me too, but once you understand it it's not so hard." He nodded and I sighed. This gonna be a long hour.

 

I said my goodbyes and made my way back to my place after an hour of helping Emil. I was halfway there when I got a text from Antonio.

From: Bastard <3  
To: Lovino

"Loviiiii!"

"What the shit do you want now?!"

"You have wounded boss with your hurtful words. D: D: "

"Ok well first off, bitch, your not my fucking boss. Secondly, good, your ego needs to be put in place." I huffed and leaned against a building.

"Ow Lovi. That one hurt."

"Good"

" :'( you made boss cry "

"Sorry, not sorry asswipe" I could almost hear his frustrated sigh of submit.

"Lovi!!!"

"Oh my fucking god! What?!"

"come see meee"

"No" I rolled my eyes and continued walking towards my house

"Por favor Lovi? For me?"

"Now it's a definite no." I groaned and looked back at the street Antonios apartment is on. I huffed in defeat and started walking towards it.

"Your so mean."

"Thanks. Also, it's 'You're.' Learn to fucking spell." I growled and went up to his apartment, I banged on the door and I heard him scream in surprise. I snorted and held back my laughter. He opened the door and I felt my face burn.

"Put some fucking clothes on you idiota!" He blinked and tackled me in a hug.

"Oh Lovi, I knew you couldn't resist me!" I could feel his muscled chest press up against mine and tried to shove him away.

"For the love of all things holy! Put some damn clothes on!" He let me go but dragged me into his place and shut the door.

"But I do have clothes on." I looked anywhere but at him.

"Boxers are not clothes!" He chuckled and walked to his room. When he came back out he had a t-shirt and pants on. Thank god.

"Now why did you want me here? Class is in less than 2 hours, you'll see me there." He rubbed the back of his neck, something I've noticed he does when he's nervous.

"Ahh well you see, I was wondering if you would like to go to dinner. With me. Tomorrow." Wait. Is he asking me out on a date? I ignored the heat on my cheeks and put on my best scowl.

"Sure." I forced down a smile and looked down at the floor. I didn't see his happy smile but I could hear it in his voice.

"Really? You'll go on a date with me?" I nodded and tried to walk past him but he caught me in another hug.

"I'm so happy Lovi." He nuzzled my face and I had to literally shove him off of me.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow, si?" I nodded again and opened the door.

"I'll see you tonight bastardo," I mumbled and walked out the door.

"Bye Lovi! See you tonight!" I groaned in embarrassment and pulled my hood up over my head.

 

I slammed the door shut behind me and ran upstairs to my room. Luckily Nonno wasn't back yet. Unluckily Feli was home.

"Fratello? Are you alright? I'm coming in ok?" I heard my door creak open and felt the bed dip at the end. I sat up and looked at him.

"Feli..." I wasn't sure if I should talk about it with him or not but he's the only person I have left besides Antonio. "How did you and potato bastard get together so easily?" He looked at me and smiled.

"Well, I told him that I really liked him and he said he felt some stronger than friendship feelings for me so I asked him out and he said yes." He smiled warmly and his face was tinted pink. "This is about Antonio right? You know he likes you a lot, so what's holding you back?"

"I don't know, I guess a part of me is too nervous to suddenly go into a relationship." I hated opening up. To anyone.

"But you really like him right?" I reluctantly nodded. "Si, very much."

"Then ask him out on a date! Remember Lovi, Toni isn't Alfred." I bit my bottom lip.

"I-I know. I'm going out with him tomorrow." I said and he looked at me with wide happy eyes.

"Oh, Fratello that's magnifico!" He hugged me and I groaned. I have been hugged to damn much today. I shoved him off and stood up. "Don't worry Lovino, it'll be ok." I nodded and went to go get ready for work after class.

"Hey, Feli?"

"Ve~?"

"Grazie." I walked out the door to got fix my hair even though Dance Class will probably ruin most of it.

 

Later that night in the middle of dancing Emma came up next to me.

"Antonio seems happy?" She said it as a question and I glanced over at her while making sure to follow Antonios every move.

"Yeah, so?" She huffed and copied my stance.

"So? What happened? Are you together?" I growled and picked my leg up

"No. We're going out to dinner tomorrow and you're not allowed to tell anyone or I'll cut all your hair off and tattoo a dick on the side of your head." She put her hands up in defeat before lifting her leg as well.

"Fine. Fine. Your secret safe with me, jeez. Why don't you give the guy a chance?" Oh my god, I already had this talk with Feli. I got frustrated so I told her something that wasn't necessarily true.

"I'm gonna ask him out tomorrow so will you get off my back!" She looked slightly offended but got over it and became excited.

"Really? Oh, he's gonna be so happy." She skipped back over to her girlfriend and I could only hope she didn't tell anyone. I groaned and looked over at Antonio who was looking right at me. I quickly averted my gaze and continued to copy his movements.

Soon after Emma left class ended and Antonio walked over to me. "Are you ready for work?" He asked and I nodded. "Yea just let me change real quick" I grabbed my bag and went to the restroom to change back into my work clothes. I came out and looked up just in time to see Tonios face flush before he looked away.

"Awe what's wrong bastardo? Doesn't my waiter outfit look nice?" I said confidently and walked past him to his car.

"Ah si, it looks very nice Lovi." He coughed lightly and I chuckled. "Come on you old fart, I don't wanna be late." He nodded, unlocked the car, and got in. "I'm not that old," he said with a pout.

This car ride wasn't as awkward since he was playing music but I still felt a little tense. Luckily he didn't notice. "Hey, Lovi?" I glanced over at him.

"What?"

"You're cute." I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"I'm a man so cute doesn't work for me, idiot." He laughed and I smiled and suddenly I didn't feel as tense anymore.

"Hey, Lovi?" I looked at him

"What do you want now?"

"Your attention." I raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"I want, your attention." He smiled and winked at me.

"Your such a child Tonio," I said but let a small smile show on my face.

"Si, that may be true but there's no other way I'd like to be." He said it with such a large smile that it felt contagious so I couldn't help but smile as well. There's no other way that I'd prefer him either. I couldn't tell him that but part of me wished I could.

 

Work took so fucking long that night and my feet hurt so badly. Thank god I didn't have to serve the private rooms, I just helped serve the two main rooms. I finally finished then Francis called me to his office to give me my schedule and I was allowed to leave. When I got to the car Antonio was asleep in the back so I had to knock on the window hard enough to wake him up.

"Hey bastard, wake up and let me in." He opened his eyes and climbed out to look at me. "Oh hi, Lovi. Are you off already?" I nodded and rolled my eyes at him.

"Are you ok enough to drive. You look fucking tired." He looked at me then to the car then back to me. "Si, get in and I'll take us home." I sighed and climbed in. When he started the car and pulled out he turned on the radio. He then grabbed a CD and placed it in disk drive before cranking the volume up. When loud fast Spanish music started blasting from the speakers with such high bass I nearly choked.

"What the shit Antonio?!" I yelled while laughing. This fucker doesn't cease to amaze me. He laughed as well and turned it up more. He started singing along and I couldn't help but slowly start to sing with him since it's a song I knew. We rolled the windows down even though it was chilly and drove through Madrid singing along to different Spanish songs. I forgot how tired I was from work and felt myself melt a little at how this man made me feel just by being himself. Fuck, maybe I will ask him out tomorrow.

 

He dropped me off at my house and before I got out I grabbed ahold of my courage and leaned over and kissed his cheek before getting out and running in the house. I looked out the window to see him still sitting in his car and smiling like an idiot while holding his cheek where I kissed him. I smiled to myself and went upstairs. This is the best I've felt since he took me out to street dance. I fell asleep with a smile on my face and hope in my heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title ' ¿Vas a tener una cita conmigo? ' means 'Will you go on a date with me?' in Spanish.
> 
> Also please remember that all the Spanish, Italian, and Norwegian have been translated by Google Translate and I am terribly sorry if any of it is wrong.


	14. Bueno

I woke up earlier than I would've like from excitement, I'd never admit it though so I made sure I had a frown on my face when I left my room. I walked to the bathroom and started the shower before slipping my boxers off and stepping in under the warm stream. I grabbed my favorite shampoo and made quick work of washing my hair, I then proceeded to lather down my body as well.

I stepped out of the shower squeaky clean and wrapped myself in a fuzzy towel. I dried off and wrapped the towel around my waist to go to my room and get dressed since it's just guys here. I wasn't sure if it was a formal date of not so I went somewhere in between. I slipped on some black trousers and a deep purple dress shit but I left the top two buttons open as well as the bottom one. I then went downstairs to grab some breakfast before I leave.

I ended up with just a tomato and a glass of milk but that's fine, I rarely eat much in the mornings. I nibbled on my tomato, trying to make sure none of the juice dripped onto my clothes. It was relatively quiet that morning and I let a small smile show on my face. Without worrying about Feli or Nonno teasing me I relaxed and finished my breakfast in peace.

I went back inside and sat down on the couch to watch television before the date to pass the time. I flicked through channel after channel but nothing good was on so I eventually gave up and ended up watching historical documentaries. 'It's a good thing I've always liked history then I guess'

A few hours past and I got tired of watching television so I walked back upstairs to brush my teeth and gargle some mouthwash. I was mid-gargle when I got a text from Antonio.

From: Bastard <3  
To: Lovino

"Lovi? Is it ok if I come pick you up now?" I quirked a brow and looked at the time. *17:35

"Sure, just hurry up bastard, I'm dying of boredom." I spit out the mouthwash and rinsed the sink before heading downstairs and slipping my shoes on. I grabbed my black dress jacket and carried it over my shoulder as I walked down the driveway to wait for the Spanish idiot.

He pulled up in front of me and I walked around to get in the passenger side before looking over to see him all fancied up. He had on black slacks, a white dress shit like my own and a black bow tie. When I looked at his face I saw him wearing a ridiculous pair of sunglasses. I couldn't help but snort and laugh.

"You look like you belong in the damn Spanish mafia. Take those fucking sunglasses off." He chuckled but left them on and handed me another set of the same glasses.

"You look so handsome Lovi. But if you put these on we'll be riding in style." I rolled my eyes but put the glasses on regardless. I looked in the left mirror and smirked.

"At least I can actually pull them off, you just look like an asshole." He laughed and turned the radio on, not nearly as loud as it was last night but still pretty loud. However, as we drove it slowly got louder and louder. We weren't singing this time but we did bob our heads to the beat.

We were driving for about an hour before he pulled up to a new looking theatre and parked a little ways away. I looked over at him to see a smile on his face.

"Where are we?" I asked. He just looked at me and got out, he then walked around and opened my door for me. Such a fucking gentleman.

"You'll see. I just hope you like it." I huffed and followed him inside. He walked up to a man and handed him what looked like two tickets. The man then pointed us down the right side hallway and Antonio thanked him before walking where the man pointed. It was slightly chilly so I was glad I brought my jacket, although suit jackets aren't the warmest it's better than nothing. I slipped mine on and noticed Tonio do the same as we continued down the wide hallway.

He opened the door for me and it was almost pitch black save for the lights that led up the steps. There was a good amount of people here but apparently, Antonio had got front row tickets. 'Where the fuck did he get the money for this?' He took a seat and I sat on his right side next to him. I still didn't know where the shit we were but I didn't wanna ask since I'm very bad a whispering and I hated having people shush me. So I just sat there in the dark, next to this gorgeous man, with over fifty more people behind us.

Then suddenly a large light turned on above the stage and two women came out and started dancing across to each other. The waltzed to some slow music until 4 more women came out. All of them in long white dresses white a slit up the leg. The first two were in black short dresses so it was easy to tell them apart as they went from woman to woman dancing with them. As they twirled across the stage I felt myself become more immersed. Eventually, I was completely entranced in the show and I didn't notice Antonio sneaking peaks at me and smiling. When it got really climatic and I lifted my hand instinctually I didn't notice when I set it back on Antonio's hand or how our fingers slowly weaved themselves together. I didn't notice when I leaned my head on his shoulder or how he kissed my temple gently. I didn't notice any of this until the show ended.

As they closed the curtain but left the lights on I suddenly became aware of my current position. I cleared my throat and quickly stood up, bringing Antonio with me since our hands were still laced together. He chuckled and helped steady me since we've been sitting there for well over two hours. We slowly made our way out of the theatre and into the cool dark night. I grabbed my phone and checked the time to see it was *21:48. I followed Antonio to the car in silence before climbing in.

"Are you hungry Lovi?" As soon as he said it my stomach growled and I felt the heat on my face intensify.

"What do you think, bastardo?" He chuckled again and started driving down the nighttime streets of Madrid. I sighed in content and glanced over at him, I frowned and thought about how badly I wanted to be able to call him mine. Of course I'd never admit it but I just might be in lo- DAMMIT NO! I huffed and dug my nails into my thigh in frustration. 'I doubt he'd even stay with me for more than a few months.'

I tried to shove those thoughts out of my mind since this is supposed to be a happy night.

"Are you alright Lovi?" He looked over at me with a somewhat nervous expression. "I'm fine. I'm just fucking hungry." He laughed.

"I think someone's hangry." I turned all my attention towards him. "What the fuck does 'hangry' mean?" His eyebrows furrowed

"Hangry is a combination of the words 'hungry' and 'angry. Or at least that's how Francis explained it to me." I rolled my eyes. "That's fucking stupid. I'm always angry dammit!" I accidentally yelled the last part and my face flushed in embarrassment. I sunk deeper into the seat of the car even though Tonio just laughed.

 

He pulled in front of a fancy middle class looking restaurant and looked over at me with a mischievous spark in his eye. "Are you ready, mi amor?" I quickly looked away and started to get out of the car so he couldn't see my blush. 'Fuck, why am I so nervous right now?' I jumped slightly when I felt an arm wrap around my waist and instinctively jerked away from the contact.

"Are you sure your alright?" I tried to calm myself down and nodded. I could tell he didn't believe me but luckily he didn't push. Instead, he sighed and led me inside.

A waitress walked up to us and said something in Spanish so fast even I couldn't understand but Antonio did. He nodded and smiled as the woman giggled. I elbowed him in his side and he looked at me in confusion. I didn't say anything because then the woman gestured for us to follow her. We followed her to the back of the restaurant and took our seats in a booth even though it was just the two of us. She asked me something but she once again said it so fast I could barely understand, but I caught the words 'would' and 'drink' so I assumed she asked what I would like to drink.

"Water with lemon." She nodded and scribbled it down before turning to Antonio and asking the same thing. "Wine will be fine, thank you." He said it with a smile and I felt my blood boil. 'He's too fucking idiotic to notice that's she's flirting with him.' I groaned and placed my head in my hands. When she finally walked away I looked up.

"Lovi? What's wrong?" I growled lowly and looked at him. "Nothing. I'm fucking peachy." He looked at me with a sad expression and I felt my gut twist a little.

"Lovino, really? What's bothering you?" I fought the urge to bring my knees up to my chest and instead looked away. "I have an idea. How about we play the no fucking talking game." He sat back for a minute and looked at me in concern. Just then the waitress came back and placed our drinks in front of us. She hovered next to Antonio and spoke rapidly to him. He smiled and she giggled, she slid him a piece of paper with her number on it and that's when I lost it.

"Now listen here you skimpy pineapple crisp bitch! Go get your own hot Spaniard, cause this one is mine dammit!" It was only after I yelled at her that I realized it was in Italian. But then suddenly Antonio burst out laughing. I looked over at him and he had tears in his eyes. The woman looked startled and quickly took off.

"What the fuck are you laughing at, stupido?" He was practically wheezing at this point and I was scared he was going to faint from lack of oxygen. Although I'm sure with how smart he is he doesn't need much to supply his brain.

"Lovino! That was so mean!" He said as he continued to slowly die of laughter. I was pretty sure everyone here was looking back at us in question so I quickly sat back down and hid my face in my arms. "How the fuck do you know what I said?" I mumbled out.

When Antonio had calmed down enough he gently shook me before speaking. "Lovi, I've been studying Italian since I met you and although I may not have understood all of that, what I did understand was-" he was cut off by another round of laughter and this time I chuckled along with him.

Soon enough a different waiter came over to us and apologized for the other woman who was flirting with Antonio. He took our order and quickly left.

"So, I'm your 'hot Spaniard' now?" I nearly choked on my drink and felt my face heat up. "Shut up, bastard." He laughed but kept pressing.

"You think I'm hot?" I threw my spoon at him "Didn't I say shut up." He rubbed his arm where the spoon hit him as if it hurt. "Don't be such a baby, it was just a fucking spoon." He sat my spoon back in front of me and decided to change the subject.

"Hey, Lovi?" I rolled my eyes. "What?" He rubbed the back of his neck before continuing. "Were you uhm j-jealous of the waitress lady?" I don't know why the fuck he was stuttering.

"Of course not!" I said a little to loudly and he just smiled like an idiot. "Oh ok." Fuck he didn't believe me. Maybe he's not as dumb as I thought.

A few minutes later the waiter brought us our food and it honestly looked delicious. I took a hesitant bite and nearly moaned at how good the pasta was. I looked up to see Antonio was in the same predicament as me. We ate in silence for the most part until we got toward the end of our meals. Then Tonio cleared his throat and looked up at me. His face was really red and his eyes were looking everywhere except at me.

"Uhm Lovino?" I sipped my water and looked at him. "Yeah? What?" He looked into my eyes and I could see just how nervous he was.

"I know you said you needed time a-and it's been over two months since then so I wanted t-to ask." Oh shit. "Lovino, will you go out with me? Will you be my boyfriend?" He never once looked away from me and I could feel my eyes start to water. I fought most of the tears down but a few made it past my defenses and slipped down my cheeks.

"Lovi?" He asked concerned. I tried to mumble something but I couldn't get it out and before I knew it I was nearly full on crying. He jumped up and walked over to me. Everything that happened next went by in a blur and soon we sitting in the backseat of his car. He had ahold of me and I was crying into his shirt. I wasn't sure why I was crying as hard as I was but I couldn't stop it. I felt so scared to be in a relationship again especially after my last one.

Somehow I had crawled onto his lap and had my face shoved into his chest. The entire time he just shushed me and rubbed my back gently. I remembered everything we've done together since I met and decided that Antonio isn't 'him'. I'm not gonna put how much 'he's' hurt me onto Antonio. It wouldn't be fair to Tonio. Or myself.

I slowly stopped crying and pulled away to look at him. He looked so sad and heartbroken and I knew he was thinking I wouldn't go out with him. I looked into his eyes and saw him try to smile for my sake. I really wanted to tell him but I still didn't trust my voice so I did the only thing I could. I kissed him.

I gently pressed my lips to his and felt his body jerk in shock until he smiled into the kiss and pulled me closer against him. I ran my fingers through his hair and felt him grasp my hips. I wanted to deepen the kiss but thought better of it and slowly pulled away.

"Si," I mumbled out. He looked at me, dazed. "Que?" I huffed and tried to quickly climb off of him but his arms stopped me.

"I said yes you bastard, now, dammit let go of me!" I swear I could hear his eyes sparkle with excitement. "Oh, Lovi! I'm so happy! Oh, I'm so glad!" I stopped struggling to get away when he started kissing my neck, then my jawline, then my cheek, and finally my lips. He kissed me with more passion than I've ever felt from him. I fucking melted into the kiss and felt him smile triumphantly.

As we drove home I felt myself start to doze off and eventually I fell asleep with a smile on my face and Tonio next to me humming along to the radio.

When I felt someone shaking my shoulder I opened my eyes and saw Tonio smiling at me. "We're at your house Lovi." I groaned and sat up more. "Dammit, why can't I just stay with you, bastard." I was too tired to see his face turn red and watch him fanboy.

"Lo siento Lovi, Romulus wants you home for school in the morning. I'll see you in class tomorrow though." I nodded and fumbled around to get out of the car. He got out and came around to help me. He walked me to the door and kissed my cheek before handing me off to Feli who was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Ve~ goodnight Antonio." Feli waved at him "Goodnight Lovi, goodnight Feli." I smiled at him as he walked back to his car. Feli walked me up to my room and told me goodnight before going back to his room. I fell asleep without changing and I dreamt of Antonio and cats and all the pasta and tomatoes in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *17:35 is 5:35pm  
> *21:48 is 9:48pm


	15. Celos

I was having a peaceful dream when I felt a sudden pressure on my abdomen. I slowly opened my eyes to see none other than Feli with a wide smile and his eyes open with the suns reflection in them.

"What the shit do you want Feli?" I groaned out as I tried to push him off of me.

"Ve~ it's almost 8:45," he said and climbed off of me. I slowly got out of bed as I answered. "Ok? And?" I sighed and made my way to the bathroom with him following behind me. "It's Monday." I glanced back at him when it clicked in my mind what he meant. "Shit! Why the fuck didn't you wake me up? We're gonna be late for school Feli!" I quickly brushed my teeth while tugging all my clothing off. I still had on my outfit from yesterday.

I slipped my shoes on and took off out the door with Feli trailing close behind me. We ran as fast as we could to the school and just made it to class in time for the late bell. I slammed my head on my desk which got me a weird look from Emil and Gilbert but currently, I didn't care. Since I quit football I've been out of shape, maybe I should join since it's my last year of high school. Or maybe not since I'm kinda lazy.

The first two classes went by relatively fast, which I was thankful for. I still felt really uncomfortable around Gilbert. It's been awhile and although I'm mostly over what happened it still feels awkward around him. Sadly I had my third class with him as well as lunch. I groaned as I gathered my books and booked it out of the classroom to 2nd period.

I sat there and took as many notes as I could while trying to keep up with the Spanish rambling teacher. Feli must be having so much trouble with keeping up with his teachers, plus learning German as well. For once I'm glad I'm not mi Fratello.

 

I had just made it to the cafeteria for lunch when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the annoying albino behind me.

"Ugh. What the fuck do you want?" I rolled my eyes and sat down at my usual table with the lunch Feli packed me. I pulled it out to see it was just some basic homemade spaghetti and meatballs in a small plastic container.

"You look like someone who could use some awesomeness in their life. Luckily for you, I happen to be the most awesome person at this school." He said as he sat next to me. I was about to say something when a heard someone sit beside me on my left. I turned around to see Emil.

"Emil, tell this idiotic fucker to piss off." I turned back to Gilbert "Please leave, I don't like eating next to garbage." I heard Emil snort.

"Me thinks your still upset over what happened." He said. I scowled and stood up with my lunch, about to leave. "Hey! Lovino, wait!" He grabbed my shoulder and forced me to sit back down.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I raised my fist to punch him and he flinched back and put his hands up in defense. I quirked a brow and slowly lowered my fist.

"Lovino, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said a few months ago. Mostly because Roddy told me to apologize, but also what I said was kind of unawesome." I rolled my eyes and delicately twirled the pasta onto my fork.

"Whatever, it's fine. Just don't fucking do it again or I'll punch you twice as hard. Got it?" I nearly yelled at him but forced myself to calm down as to not get the attention of any teachers. The last thing I need is to get suspended again for swearing. He nodded and jumped out of his seat to run out of the cafeteria and down the hall. I shook my head as his idiocy and turned my attention back to the meal in front of me.

 

When the final bell rang I grabbed my bag and slowly made my way out with the rest of the poor souls that attended this school. As I was walking out the door I saw Feli talking to Gilbert. I stopped and decided to walk the long way around, however, almost instantly they spotted me.

"Fratello! Come walk with us!" I groaned internally.

"Fucking dammit!" I yelled as I stomped over to them.

When I was standing close enough Gilbert slung his arm over my shoulder and laughed obnoxiously. "Come on Lovino, of course, you would like to walk with the coolest guy in school." I glared at him and elbowed him in the stomach. He released me and grabbed his stomach in pain. I smirked in victory and turned away from him in disgust.

"Why are you so mean to me?" I heard a voice grumble out behind me. I paid him no mind and continued to walk with Feli to the studio. "Hey! Don't just leave me here!" Gilbert shouted from behind us. Soon after I felt something heavy crash into my back and I was lifted into the air.

"Chigi! Put me down dammit! You albino asswipe! When I get down I'm gonna kick all your fucking teeth out!" I continued to yell at him but he just kept running while holding me above his fucking head like I'm some sort of fucking feather. How the hell can he hold me up here for so long? I weigh *56 kilos dammit!

"Kesesese! You'll never escape my awesome strength!" He yelled while continuing to run toward the studio. I groaned and flailed my legs around, at least hoping to kick him in the face. "You bastard! Put me down! My back fucking hurts!" He just laughed and ran through the studio doors.

"Lovi?" I heard a familiar voice ask. "Toni you bastard, fucking help me!" I yelled and continued to kick at Gilbert. The pale man was so persistent even though I could feel his arms shake from holding me like this for so long.

"Lovi! Don't worry! Boss is on the way to save you!" This fucker. I couldn't really see what was happening but suddenly Gilbert started running and screaming.

"Toni, Toni stop! I'll let him go! Stop!" I heard him yelp and then I was falling. I didn't even have time to try to turn and catch myself. I closed my eyes and braced for the pain. But it never came. Instead, I felt two strong arms catch me and instinctively pull me close to their chest. I opened my eyes and saw Antonio with a proud look in his eyes. I craned my head to the side and saw Gilbert laying on the floor holding a shoe. I looked down at Tonios feet and seen one socked foot.

"You fucking idiot put me down. People are fucking staring dammit. We gotta this on a low." He chuckled and set me on my feet. "Lo siento Lovi." He said right as Feliciano burst through the doors.

"Fratello? Are you alright? I tried to chase after him but he was so fast. I grabbed your bag though." Feli huffed, crouched over and out of breath. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my bag from him. I took out one of my spare water bottles and handed it to him.

"Ah, grazie Lovi." He said before chugging the entire fucking bottle of water. When I turned back to Antonio he was helping Gilbert up but there was something off about it. He had a smile on his face but there was something weird about his eyes. They weren't really glaring but they were darker and seemed more malicious. When he noticed me staring at him though they returned to normal. 'What the fuck'

"Oi Spanish bastard, what the fucks the matter with you?" His entire face flushed a bright red and he opened his mouth to speak but Gilbert beat him to it.

"He's jealous because the awesome me had his hands all over his little lover boy." I felt the blush creep up on my cheeks and I looked from Gilbert back over to Toni. Tonios' face was even redder and his eyes were dark again. I glanced around and was relieved to see it was just us here at the moment.

"Do I need to fucking punch you again?" He looked like he was up for the challenge so I raised my fists. He smirked and did the same. "Kesesesese~ the little pasta boy wants to fight?" Gilbert asked before the door opened and in walked Roderich.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt, you will do no such thing," Roderich said calmly as he walked over to us. "Awe but Roddy, he started it," Gilbert said and pointed at me.

"That is the most childish thing I've ever heard you say. Now, what are you doing here?" I turned away from them, still feeling the adrenaline from almost getting into a fight corse through me. I glanced at Antonio who had seemed to calm down and was watching me with a careful look in his eyes.

"What the fuck are you staring at?" I snapped as I walked past him. "Lo siento Lovi, I did not mean to stare." He ducked his head down and followed me. 'What the fuck is wrong with him?' I wondered as I sat on a mat and started to stretch my legs out.

 

Tonio seemed off for the entire class but continued to smile and brush it off when I asked what was wrong. As we were finishing up Emma skipped over and slung her arms around me in what I originally thought was a hug. However, it was just a show so she could whisper in my ear.

"What did you do to make him all jealous and upset?" She said it so calmly I felt chills go down my spine. "What the fuck? I didn't do shit! Wait, he's jealous?" She scoffed and pulled away a bit.

"Are you that daft? Of course, he's jealous, what happened?" I placed my hands on my hips and glared over her shoulder at Gilbert. "That damn idiot Gilbert is what happened. Go talk to him about it." She rolled her eyes and went to walk away but she turned and looked at me once more.

"Are you and Toni together yet?" I felt a heat creep up on my cheeks and looked away. "No. Maybe. Yes. Shut up!" She squealed and my eyes snapped up to see her fanning herself. Just when I thought I was in the clear though she decided to announce it to the whole damn class.

"I can't believe you and Tonio are finally together! Oh, I gotta go congratulate Antonio." She yelled and skipped off. I looked away from her and noticed everyone staring at me. I quickly looked down and stomped out the doors.

I was halfway home when a car pulled up beside me. I looked in and saw Antonio and Feli. "Lovi! Hop in." I huffed but got in anyway.

"Lovi, I'm sorry about what Emma did. It was bound to get out sometime though." I glared at him but didn't say anything. He sighed and we drove the rest of the way in silence, except for Felis rapid texting.

He pulled up into my driveway and I quickly got out and ran to go change for work. I changed my pants and slipped my white dress shirt on. I tuck it into my pants and slip my belt on before grabbing my black vest and sliding my arms through it. I rush back downstairs while buttoning it. I was about to run back out to the car when Feli stopped me.

"Fratello, you're forgetting your tie and gloves. He handed them to me and I honestly could've hugged him if it weren't for the reputation I have to keep. "Grazie Feli," I said and slipped my shoes on before rushing out the door.

We drove most of the way in silence but as we neared the restaurant I decided to ask him about what had been on my mind all day. "Oi Tonio, what the fuck was wrong with you earlier?" His face reddened and he cleared his throat.

"Ah well you see," he stopped midsentence so I decided to be nice for once and help the poor fool out. "I get that you were jealous for some fucking reason, but why?" He refused to look at me.

"Gilbert has this problem where he'll sometimes take things to far, and I just, I didn't want him to get too touchy-feely with you Lovi." I snorted and rolled my eyes. This fucking idiot thinks I'd actually let Gilbert touch me at all willingly. "Yeah well, that fucker isn't allowed to touch me from now on. My back still fucking hurts, dammit." I looked out the window and realized we were at the restaurant, I didn't even notice him put the car in park. I sighed and unbuckled.

 

I came back out that night feeling rather happy, someone gave me a large tip. I smiled as I counted the money in my hand. I had my first private room tonight and oh mio Dio, the tip they left me alone was more than I'd ever made at Olive Garden. I hurriedly knocked on the window for him to unlock it since it was really cold out here. I peered inside but I didn't see Antonio anywhere in the car. I grabbed my phone out of my bag and sent him a message.

To: Bastard <3  
From: Lovino

"Where the fuck are you?! It's cold out here!" A few minutes went by before I received a text back.

"Lovi!!! Come to Francis's office!!!!" I groaned and slid the money I'd made in my wallet and dropped it in my bag before going back inside.

It doesn't matter how many times I do it, I hate walking down this stupid fucking hallway. It's to fucking quiet. Thank Dio I finally reached the large door and rapped my knuckle against it a few times before going in. Antonio was sitting on a chair in front of Francis's desk and they seemed to be chatting about something important judging by the look on Antonio's face.

"Why the fuck did you tell me to come here?" I had long since gotten over my fear of the French bastard so swearing in front of him didn't bother me any. Francis sighed and waved me over.

"Lovino, we're both aware of Antonie's debt problems I assume?" I nodded and glared at him skeptically. "Well I proposed he could work for me as well, but he doesn't know if it's a good idea." He groaned dramatically and looked at me with a pleading look.

"Don't look at me like that you French fucker. Toni, it's a good job, why the shit are you refusing?" Francis gasped like I had hit him and Toni chuckled. "Because Lovi, you may not believe it but, I am a very clumsy person." He said it like it was some big surprise. I snorted.

"That's fine, at least try dammit. If you get fired then oh fucking well, at least you got some cash and got to destroy shit." Francis stood up and I inched my way closer to Antonio. "Hey! It would be my stuff he is breaking! Mon ami, at least try, but please don't break anything expensive." At this point, I was almost completely behind Antonio, but no one seemed to notice, which is a good thing.

"I'll try but it has to be during Lovis hours and I refuse to work with Arthur," Toni said and I rolled my eyes at his pettiness.

"That's fine mon ami, I'll have Lovino train you then. However, keep la amour out of the restaurant *s'il te plait." Tonio nodded and stood up from his chair.

 

When he dropped me off at my house that night he seemed really upset. "What's wrong now?" I asked and grabbed my bag from the backseat. "Oh Lovi, I wish we could've had more private time today. I missed you so much." I felt my eye twitch.

"I'm right here, you dumb fuck. Besides we've only been t-together for a day." He sighed and tugged me into his arms. "Si, I know, but I wanna be able to hold you and kiss you all day long." He hugged me hard and my ribs started to hurts from leaning over the console of the car.

"Well, how about this. If you stop fucking crushing me we can hang out sometime this week." He loosened his grip and I felt him nod with his face in my shoulder. When I went to pull away he stopped me. He gently raised my chin with his hand and pressed his lips to mine. He's right about one thing for sure, we definitely need more private time together. I groaned into the kiss and felt him pull away.

"Can't let you leave without a goodnight kiss." He said with a wink. I scoffed and rolled my eyes before slipping out of the car.

"Goodnight Lovi."

"Yeah, goodnight to you too, bastard."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Title 'Celos' is Spanish for 'Jealousy'  
> *56 kilos is around 125 pounds  
> *'S'il te plait' is French for please 
> 
> This is mostly a filler chapter.


	16. Pasado

It's been a little over two weeks since Tonio got that job offer from Francis and he seemed to be doing fine. 'Thank god'. But he hates being so quiet when he's out of the kitchen. Unlike him, I actually enjoy the silence. Like I am right now. Or at least until someone knocks on my door.

"Lovi? Can I come in?" Shit, what is he doing here? I quickly grab a shirt out of my closest and slip it on before opening the door to see Antonio with his guitar. Before I could even get a word out I was embraced in a warm hug. I struggled at first but hesitantly hugged him back.

"What are you doing here, bastard?" He pulled away and smiled at me. "I wanted to invite you to come street playing with me. All the little kids miss you." I still had to go over to Emils in a few hours. "Uh, sure, just let me change." He nodded and skipped down the stairs. 'I swear he just comes and goes as he pleases.'

I followed him to the corner we went to so long ago. That was half a year ago, then soon after that was the summer dance. I felt my face heat up when I remember dancing with Antonio and how at the end we had to dance the fucking Macarena. His ass though. Perfect.

As he sat down to tune his guitar I decided to ask him about it. "Hey, remember when we had to dance the Macarena?" I saw his face redden and nearly chuckled. "Si. I remember." He mumbled out as he continued to tune his guitar.

"What's the story behind that? I feel like it'll be fucking stupid but I still wanna know." He wouldn't look at me and it almost made me feel like I asked something bad. "Ah, well, you see, when I was still pretty new to dancing, around 7 years old. I learned the dance since it seemed fairly easy. Then later when I was almost 18 I remember cleaning my room with my door open and then it came on the radio. Although it had been years I still remembered the steps and I decided to dance to it for nostalgia's sake."

He paused and started to strum out a slow tune on his guitar before continuing. "About halfway through the song, I was still dancing but when I turned around Joao was standing in my doorway with his phone up. He recorded me dancing. Then the next day he showed it to all our friends and sent it to Emma. Then she proceeded to show it to all her friends as well. By the end of the week, the entire school had seen it. But the weird thing is, nobody made fun of me. They did, however, watch me more, however, only when I walked past or away from them. It felt really awkward so I asked Joao about it and he said they were staring at my-"

He cut himself off and leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"Butt."

I burst out laughing. "Why the shit are you so innocent? You can't even say the word 'ass'. What the fuck Tonio!" I didn't mean to yell but I was currently trying not to choke on my own laughter. His face turned even redder and he looked away.

When he recovered from his embarrassment a few seconds later, he leaned back over to me. "Lovi, boss says these things because there are children around. I am by no means 'innocent'." I didn't know what it was but something about the way he whispered it into my ear with his deep voice made me freeze. I felt a certain heat pool in my stomach and felt my knees go weak. I looked away from him.

"Just play your fucking guitar you idiota." He chuckled and returned back to his normal self. "Fusososo~ whatever you say Lovi." He started playing a slow, happy tune and slowly kids and people gathered around. The little girl from last time was there and she quickly ran over to me. She tugged on my sleeve.

"Come and dance with us again, please." I felt my heart melt a little and stood up to follow the small child. She grabbed my hands and made me dance with her. She giggled and laughed as I twirled her little body gently away from me and then back again. Then another kid walked up and wanted to dance, so the first child traded me off to the other slightly smaller girl.

I smiled as I danced with all the children and soon enough I was laughing along with them. Antonio stood up and came over while still playing. He danced with the small little girl and I felt something odd stir in me. It was like a sweeter mixture of hope and happiness and it made me feel really weird. I couldn't decide if it was a good feeling or not.

To soon did the music fade and the children went back to their parents. I walked over and sat down on the low brick wall next to Antonio. He smiled at me and I felt my heart sore. I tried to force it down. I didn't want this happen. I don't want to fall in love with this idiot. I swore to myself I'd never fall for someone again.

"Lovi? Are you alright?" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked into his bright forest eyes before quickly looking away. "Of course I am, what the fuck makes you think I'm not?" I huffed out.

"You looked so happy just a second ago, now you look afraid. What's wrong, mi amour?" I sighed "Can we go to your place for a bit? I'll tell you there." He nodded and grabbed his guitar before standing up and offering me his hand. Although I felt more than a little scared I took it and didn't let go the entire walk to his apartment.

As soon as we made it inside his living room I felt all my walls crumble down. I kicked my shoes off and followed him to his bedroom. He set his guitar down in the corner and turned to me with open arms. I hesitantly walked over and accepted his hug, but it was like as soon as I did I suddenly couldn't hold it in anymore. I started to cry and ramble.

"I'm scared Toni, I'm so fucking scared!" He squeezed me tight against his chest and slowly lead us over to his bed. "What are you scared of?" He asked softly as he sat us down on his bed.

"You." He pulled away a bit to look at me. "Me? Que? Why are you scared of me, Lovi?" I continued to sob into his shirt as I rambled on to him even though I'll most likely regret it in a few hours.

"My last relationship lasted almost 3 years, we were nearing our 3 year anniversary and h-he" I stopped and let out a loud wail into his shoulder. He seemed to understand and just pulled me closer. "He was a foreign student, from America. He was one of my closest friends for over a year. Then he asked me out. It was my first 'real' relationship." I sniffed and clung to Tonio who just sat and listened.

"He said he loved me. He said he'd never leave. And although I'm not a daft person, part of me believed him. Then he made this online friend who lives in Japan. I didn't think anything of it at first since he had a lot of online friends. But as time went by, he stopped spending time with me and started spending more time with the Japanese guy. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want to believe it, I denied any thought of him cheating on me. Hell, I don't even know if you could call this cheating. But it feels like he did. It hurt like he did." I paused to catch my breath.

"One month before our 3 year anniversary, he said he needed a break from me. I asked him why and he said it was because he had feelings for someone else. I refused to take a 'break' from him and instead broke it off permanently. I was angry and sad but I don't regret leaving him for good. I was angry at myself for refusing to see the signs, and I was sad because I fell in love with him."

"Then he got defensive. He said that he had known his Japanese friend for almost half of his life, and he liked him even before he got with me. But he was with some Greek guy, so he tried to move on from him by getting with me. I was a fucking plan B, I didn't matter." I took a breath. "That's why I was so scared to get into a relationship with you. But then I got these feeling for you and they didn't go away. Then we kissed and it just got worse. Then you asked me out and although I'm scared it just wouldn't be fucking right to ignore both of our feelings. Now I'm scared because I really like you, Toni. I really, really like you. Maybe I'll even fall in fucking love with you. Dammit!"

I started sobbing again and he pulled away to look at me. "Do you mean that Lovi?" I nodded and tried to wipe away the tears falling down my cheeks but it seemed like every tear I wipe away is replaced by two more. He pulled me against him and suddenly lifted my chin. I stared deep into his eyes and felt more tears run down my face. Then he kissed me. It was full of love and care. I melted into the kiss and slowly stopped crying.

When he pulled away I felt myself start to doze off. He hugged me and laid us down on the bed. I fell asleep with my head against his chest and his arms protecting me from the world.

 

When I was later woken up from my siesta by my phone's alarm going off I groaned and rolled over. I nearly fell off the tiny bed but I caught myself and grabbed my phone out of my bag. I checked the time and seen I was almost late for my tutoring session with Emil. I stretched and stood up. I noticed Antonio was still asleep so I decided to just let him sleep since he has a class in a couple hours. I grabbed my bag and quietly made my way out of the apartment.

"When I got to Emil's house, a tall man with spiked blonde hair peered down at me. "Who the fuck are you?" Were the first words out of my mouth. He just laughed and waved me in. "I'm Mathias, Lukas's fiance." He sounded way too happy about it and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah ok, where's Emil?" He chuckled and pointed to the living room. As I walked in I saw a tall scary guy next to, wait, is that Tino? "Oh hi, Lovino." The short blonde waved at me. Yep, that's Tino.

"What the hell?" Just then Lukas walked in. "This is Berwald and his husband Tino, which I'm also aware is your teacher, correct?" I nodded "How do you all know each other?" I asked since I was so confused.

"Well, Berwald, Mathias, and I are all childhood friends. Then one day Berwald decided to try his hand a dancing and met Tino. They hit it off from there and Berwald never tried dancing again." Lukas said as he sipped on something that smelled like coffee. I shook my head and looked around for Emil. I found him hiding behind an oversized Christmas tree even though it just turned November.

"Come on, let's get this shit over with." He nodded and we went up to his room to study.

 

That night I laid in bed thinking of everything I told Antonio when speak of the devil. He fucking called. I fumbled to grab my phone off the table beside my bed.

"Ciao?" I resisted the urge to yawn.

"Lovi?"

"Who the fuck else would it be you bastard." I heard his deep chuckle.

"Lo siento, mi amor."

"What do you want? I'm tired, dammit."

"Oh well, I just wanted to tell you that, it's ok. You don't have to be scared to be with me Lovi. I don't like anyone but you. And if I did, I definitely wouldn't cheat on you. I know you won't believe me but I just wanted to let you know. Honestly, I haven't been in a relationship since I was 16." He rambled, I was already half asleep but I heard most of it.

"You old cunt. But thank you, for understanding." I could almost see that overly warm smile on his face.

"De nada, buenos noches, mi amor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Title 'Pasado' is Spanish for 'Past'
> 
> I'm so sorry to make Alfred seem like the bad guy. I love him to death and it hurts to write him as the antagonist.


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